If I ever fell
by H.I. Fanfiction
Summary: Every day since their passing, he awakens to the same song. It motivates him. It encourages him to get up every morning... but this morning will be truthfully different. Gibbs/Tony mpreg slash. Some Gibbs OOC. REWRITTEN, REPOSTED!
1. The New Beginning

**Author's Notes: Hello, everyone! I have decided to rewrite, recheck, and repost this story, because I believe it deserves to be a part of this fandom!**

**I have read many mPreg stories for NCIS, and they almost always have Tony as the pregnant one. Well, I decided that things should change.**

**I hope you like this story, and for everyone who has read this story in the past, I would like to welcome you back to it.**

**Thank you for reading!**

**- H.I.**

* * *

**_If I Ever Fell..._**

* * *

**"The New Beginning"**

**Chapter One**

* * *

Every day since their passing, he awakens to the same song.

It motivates him.

It encourages him to get up every morning, greet the brand-new day with hope & happiness, and to the knowledge that when the sun comes up, life as he knew it, was going to be alright.

He left the alarm on, allowing the song to play out and reset itself. Some mornings, as he got out of bed and got ready for the day, he found himself humming along with the song, other times he would sing out loud. Even as he showered that morning, he lightly hummed the song. It had an odd calming effect on him.

As he exited the shower, he looked over his body and sighed. He had let himself go a wee bit, seeing the beginnings of an old-man gut forming.

'_Tonight, after work, a nice brisk run...'_ he thought lightly. '_Got to get back into shape...'_

He knew why he had stopped running, but now was the high time to start again. After shaving swiftly, he dried off the rest of his body that he hadn't gotten to yet, combed his hair, and put on a fresh pair of military green boxers. Sighing again, he made his way to his closet to find his clothes for the day.

He looked over at a photo of his two favorite people and asked them the same thing every morning, "So, ladies, what should I wear today?"

Thinking to himself, he remembered what Abby told him one day about his wardrobe:

_/*Abby: 'Gibbs, have you ever thought of getting a personal stylist to come in, raid your clothes closet, and tell you what 'not' to wear?'_

_*Gibbs: 'Abs, why would I want someone to do that? I think my wardrobe is fine.'_

_*A: 'Yeah, it's fine... for someone's dad.'_

_*G: 'I am someone's dad...'_

_*A: 'Well, you know what I mean... it makes you look 'older' than you are...'_

_*G: 'Abs, I'm 53. I am supposed to look this old.'_

_*A: 'Gibbs, '53' is the new '33'... you should be dressing younger, sexier, tighter... more suave... like Tony or Tim.'_

_*G: 'Are you comparing my wardrobe choices to those of DiNozzo or McGee?'_

_*A: 'Just think about it, Gibbs... for me... just try it once...try to dress hotter...'/_

Today seemed like as good of a day as any to try out Abby's advice.

He looked in his closet and picked out an outfit that he believed would be appealing to not only Abby, but others. Putting it on promptly (and noticing its tightness), he made his way downstairs to see what he had on his calendar for the day. He noticed that today was his yearly check-up, instantly making him cringe. He knew exactly what the doctor was going to say, and frankly, today he didn't want to have to hear it.

* * *

McGee looked at his watch, as he sat at his desk, and smiled.

He knew Gibbs would walk into the Bullpen soon to find only Ziva & himself working, and that Tony had yet to arrive. He knew that Agent DiNozzo would have an excuse of either _'Traffic, boss'_;_'Accident, boss'_; or, _'Car trouble, boss'_, so he anticipated Gibbs lecturing him about time management for the fifty-millionth time.

"What are you smiling about over there, McGee?" Ziva inquired lightly.

"Look what time it is, Ziva," he began to say. "Any minute now, Gibbs is going to come in and ask us where Tony is for the bazillionth time. Then, he's going to compare one or both of us to Tony, making us look better than him... like always."

"You really get on, when Gibbs yells at Tony, don't you?"

"The euphemism is '_you really get off'_, Ziva..."

"On, off, whatever! You are not a light switch, McGee!"

"What about light switches?" A familiar voice questioned out of nowhere.

Both McGee & Ziva turned to see Tony standing before them, and he was on time. He was actually in the office before Gibbs was.

"Wow, Tony, that's like a record or something..." Ziva stated aloud.

"Definitely, Ziva..." Tim agreed. "You even got here before Gibbs did..."

"That's because Gibbs is not going to be in this morning." Tony answered with a smile.

"And how do you know that?"

"He texted me this morning, that's why. And, I quote, '_Have doctor's appt. Will be in after 11am. Be ready. -L.J.G_'. End-quote..."

"Well, I hope it's not something serious." Ziva commented softly.

"Nope, probably just his yearly physical, that's all..."

"Since when is Gibbs texting you about his personal matters, Tony?" The team geek questioned aloud.

"I have no clue, Probie... he just did today, okay?"

"Has it been a year already? Wow, time flies, when you are having a good time..." The lone girl in the room wondered to them.

"That's _'time flies, when you are having fun'_, Zee..." McGee chimed in as always.

"Whatever, Idiom Detective... now, get back to work."

Tony chuckled at the nickname that his teammate had given the other. Tim shot him a death glare, causing him to chuckle more.

"What? You gotta admit it, Probie... that was a good one..." The senior agent confessed.

McGee rolled his eyes at him, as he walked away from his desk, grumbling, "I'm gonna go find Abby..."

DiNozzo continued to laugh and smile, as Ziva shook her head in disapproval, stating, "You don't always have to be so mean to him, you know..."

"Who, McGee? He should be used to be my ways by now. He just gets testy, when people other than me call him names. Maybe you should apologize." Tony answered with a little bit of sarcasm.

"Yeah, I'll apologize when pigs have airplanes..."

"That's _'when pigs fly'_, Zee-Vah..."

"Same difference..."

The two smiled at one another before going to work on their newest case, awaiting the arrival of their fearless leader.

'_God, I hope he's gonna be alright,'_ Tony thought to himself. '_I don't know what I would do if anything happened to him.'_

* * *

The exam room was quiet and smelled way too hermetically-sealed for Gibbs's liking. With a soft knock on the door, his doctor entered into the room. Dr. Francesca MacKenzie had been his physician ever since he received his 'diagnosis' as an adult. She was the only doctor who specialized in his condition. The funny thing was that Tony was one of her patients as well.

"Morning, Jethro..." the physician stated lightly. "How are you feeling today?"

"Fine, Doc..." He answered back. "What's the good word?"

"Same old stuff, different day... you know how that is, right?"

"Exactly..."

"So, on the menu for you today, is your yearly physical, some blood work and an abdominal/pelvic exam. Sound good to you?"

"Oh, yeah... sounds delightful..."

The sarcasm was not lost on the doctor, who quickly went to work checking out her patient. After she finished her checks, she jotted down some notes, and before Gibbs knew it, she was done for that moment. The doctor sent in one of her many nurses to take blood samples, which Gibbs always hated, but being a strong Marine, he had to grin & bear it. As soon as she finished getting all of the blood she needed, the nurse instructed Gibbs to follow her into another room. This room had a long exam table and an ultrasound machine, among other devices.

"Agent Gibbs, the doctor wants you to strip down from your mid-waist down and cover up with the sheet." The nurse directed him with a smile. "She'll be back in a moment."

"Thanks..." He replied, knowing this was the part of the exam he hated the most.

However, he did what he was told.

He removed his shoes, putting under the chair beside the exam table; then, he removed his pants and boxers, folding them nicely and placing them on the seat of the chair. He covered his lower section, just as a knock came to the door, and the doctor entered the space, along with the same nurse from before.

"Alright, Jethro, are you ready for this part?" Dr. MacKenzie asked of her patient.

"No, but we'd better get it over with..." He replied back to her.

"Exactly what I was thinking, too. Now, just lay back and let's get started."

He wasn't ready for this.

He wasn't ready to be told if his condition was better or worse.

He wasn't ready to know his future.

Not like this, not alone...

**_TBC?_**

* * *

_A/N: Let me know what you think. :)_


	2. Shock and Surprise

**Author's Notes: Hello, everyone. Here is chapter two, and you will figure out the real reason why Gibbs is at the doctors' office.**

**I thought it was a good idea that this appointment is 'somewhat' like a woman's appointment would be, emphasis on the 'somewhat'. **

**I don't have children, nor have ever been pregnant. I depend on friends (who have had children) and websites for pregnancy and babies for information, because research is always KEY to success. If anything seems wrong or incorrect, please make me aware of it in a PM.**

**Alright... now on with the show...**

**Thank you for reading.**

**- H.I. **

* * *

**Chapter Two: "Shock and Surprise".**

* * *

_*** Previously in "If I ever fell..."**_

_"Alright, Jethro, are you ready for this part?" Dr. MacKenzie asked of her patient._

_"No, but we'd better get it over with." He replied back to her._

_"Exactly what I was thinking, too. Now, just lay back and let's get started."_

* * *

He wasn't ready for this.

He wasn't ready to be told if his condition was better or worse.

He wasn't ready to know his future.

Not like this, not alone.

As he lay on the exam table, he took a deep breath, trying to let out of his tension with it. The doctor lightly uncovered the section of Jethro's body covered by the paper sheet and did her normal checks. He checked his abdomen and pelvis to make sure that there were no problems, before traveling down below to his 'lower' regions. As she inspected his private parts, he anticipated that she'd have to ask them typical questions, and without missing a beat, she spoke up, "Jethro, how is your sex life?"

"Normal, no problems..." He responded, hoping that she would stop playing with his privates after that answer.

"Same sexual partner as always?"

"Oh yeah, that's not going to change any time soon..."

"Good. I like him, he's a good fit for you, Jethro."

"I hear that a lot these days, Doc...more than you'd ever know."

"Alright, Marine...slip your boxers back on, so we can do your ultrasound and then you'll be done."

'_Thank god,' _he thought to himself. '_But, there is still the ultrasound...the dreaded ultrasound.'  
_  
Quickly putting on his boxers and resettling 'himself', Jethro laid back down on the table. The nurse placed a towel low enough to catch any gel that would travel beyond the designated area, before squirting the warm substance on his stomach and abdomen. The doctor swirled the ultrasound wand around in the translucent goo, making sure to get an accurate picture. She was looking around his abdominal region for any anomalies as she normally did, when she stopped suddenly.

"Jethro, have you been having any stomach issues? Cramps? Nausea? Vomiting? Weight gain? Things of that nature?" She questioned honestly.

"I've been having a little cramping, but nothing out of the ordinary. And, I have been meaning to start working out again. Why?" He wondered, beginning to feel worry creep up on him.

"When did you last have sex?"

"We've been really busy at work; I don't remember..."

"Okay, then when was the first day of your last hormone rotation?"

"Wow... it's been a while, I think it was like March 20th or 21st, I'm not sure what day, but I know it was that week."

"That far away, huh?"

"Yeah, I think so. Why?"

She placed the ultrasound wand in the perfect spot and saved the picture. She then turned the screen to show Gibbs what was going on inside of him. All he saw was what looked like a mass floating in mid-air with the center of it flicking rapidly. He immediately knew what that was.

"From the looks of things, Jethro, you are about 14 weeks along."

"14 weeks along? So that means I'm..."

"About 3 months pregnant. Congratulations..."

He took a deep breath to keep himself from fainting as the doctor pulled out another device that looked like a radio with a microphone. She turned it on and placed the wand on his abdomen, finding what she was looking for immediately.

Jethro heard a sound that hadn't heard in 26 years: the sound of a baby's first heartbeat.

Hearing it made him get a little emotional.

There was no one else there to hear it with him, other than the medical staff.

He wanted one of the members of his team there with him.

He wanted Tony there with him.

* * *

As the elevator hit its desired floor, Gibbs stepped out and made his way down the hall to his designation. Out of nowhere, as he inhaled the mixture of dead flesh and formaldehyde in the air, he felt a wave of nausea hit him. He promptly found a clean trash can and threw up all of his breakfast that had yet to leave his stomach (i.e. two cups of coffee).

Wiping his mouth off with the back of his hand, he continued down the hall to the morgue. As he entered the cold space, the scent entered his nose again. He quietly covered his nose and mouth with his shirt sleeve and hand to block off as much as he could, but it was no use. He found another trash can and threw up again. This time, he felt better, but not 100-percent, yet he learned a valuable lesson: that smell was still horrid no matter what.

"Jethro, are you alright?" Ducky questioned, seeing his friend's current state.

"Yeah, Duck... I'm terrific..." The agent answered with a sarcastic tone, again wiping off his mouth with the back of his hand. "How are you?"

"Curious... you never get sick when you come in here. Are you coming down with something?"

"Too late for that, I already have something and it's not going away for another 6 months or so..."

"Oh, really? That's interesting. What is it, may I ask?"

"Pregnancy..."

"Pregnan- - Jethro, are you serious?"

"Very... Doctor MacKenzie confirmed it today... I'm 14 weeks along."

The former Marine pulled out the ultrasound picture that the doctor had given him of the baby to show everyone and handed it to the medical examiner. Ducky examined it quietly and a soft smile appeared on his face.

"Think I'll make a good father, Duck?" Jethro inquired honestly. "It's been so long since Kelly was alive. I don't know if I even remember how to be a good dad."

"Jethro, the all-powerful Buddha once said, '_A man is not considered a good man because he is a good talker_.'"

"Umm... I'm not following you..."

"You can't just 'talk the talk' about being a good father, Jethro... you must also 'walk the walk'. Show everyone how good of a father you can be. Then, everything will fall into place."

"Just that simply, huh Duck?"

"Well, let's hope this child is nothing like young Anthony..." He stated lightly. "If so, you're going to have trouble on your hands..."

"That's for sure..." Jethro replied, taking the picture back from his friend, before coughing loudly. "God, why does it have to smell so horrible in here?"

"Jethro, I don't think you should be down here anymore; these fumes could harm a developing fetus. Why don't you go back upstairs to the bullpen and get some better air?"

"Good idea, Duck... I'll talk to you later."

"I'll be counting on it..."

Jethro moved back to the elevator, pressing the button for his desired floor quickly. He needed to get the monkey off of his back and tell Tony about his test results. He needed to know how his partner felt about it.

* * *

Jethro needed a ton of reassurance. He needed...

"Hey, Boss..."

Not that... especially not from him... not now.

"'Morning, McGee..." Jethro replied in his normal gruff tone. "Anything of interest for me?"

"No, not really. Nothing out of the ordinary today, Boss... just finishing up paperwork from previous cases. How are you feeling?"

"I'm good, McGee. Where are Ziva & Tony?"

"Umm... in Abby's lab..."

"What are they doing down there?"

"Hanging out? I'm not for sure, sir... I have yet to go down there."

"Keep up the good work, McGee."

"Umm... thank you?"  
_  
'A complement... from Gibbs? Really?'_, thought Tim. _'There must be something seriously wrong with him.' _

"No problem. I'm gonna go investigate the rest of the team..." He retorted as he walked back to the elevator.

This left McGee yet again in stunned silence.

A doctor's appointment, a complement, what was next? An announcement?

Tim could only wait and watch to see what would happen next.

* * *

As he exited the elevator, Jethro noticed the lack of blaring loud heavy metal deafening him as soon as the doors opened.

It was surprisingly somber, at least made him want to fall asleep.

As he walked through the lab's door, he saw the most interesting sight he had ever seen.

It made him smile, even though he shouldn't have.

**TBC?**

* * *

_A/N: Let me know what you think of this chapter. _


	3. Elevator Head-Slap

**Author's Notes:**** Hey, everyone! Here is chapter three. **

**Sorry that it took forever for me to repost this! I got distracted by other stories... ugh! :(**

**Anywho, by now, most of you know what is wrong with Gibbs, but this is the time for Tony to find out.**

**Thanx**.

* * *

**Chapter Three - Elevator Head-Slap**

* * *

As he walked through the lab's door, he saw the most interesting sight he had ever seen.

It made him smile, even though he shouldn't have.

Before him, Tony, Ziva & Abby were all deeply asleep. Ziva was laying in Abby's armchair, legs over one side and head dangling over the other. He was surprised that she could sleep like that. Abby was lying on her black, white & blood red shag rug, covered up by her lab coat. And, Tony… he found him slumbering on Abby's couch, scrunched up into himself.

'_How could they be sleeping, when there is tons of paperwork to be done?_' Jethro wondered to himself. '_They shouldn't be counting on McGee to do everything…they need to help him out._'

He looked around the lab for something large to drop that would make a loud noise when it hit the ground. He found a metal pan that was empty, and without warning, he 'accidently dropped' it onto the floor, causing a deafening clanging noise that startled all the three amigos awake.

Ziva and Tony groaned awake and immediately stiffened up, noticing the figure before them. Tony nudged Abby awake hard, knowing that she could sleep through anything, including Hell.

"What the heck, Tony…" She announced, before she turned to see a familiar face. "Gibbs!"

She got up quickly and moved to Jethro, embracing him all of sudden.

"Are you alright? Are you sick? Are you dying? Is it serious?" She questioned in rapid succession.

"Slow down, Abs… I'm alright. I'm not sick nor am I dying. I'm just wondering 'why-in-the-hell' were the three of you sleeping down here, when you should be working?"

"Afraid that's my fault, Gibbs... see, I just got this new relaxation CD in, and it's supposed to help to de-stress your body after you come from work, so I thought I would test it with Ziva & Tony, and I'm guessing it's a success…"

"It was with me, Boss..." Tony chimed in with a smile.

Jethro shot him a dirty look, before removing himself from Abby's grasp, "Shut up, DiNozzo!"

"Shutting up now, Boss…" The SFA retorted back, as he went back to straightening his clothes.

"We are very sorry that have let you down, Gibbs…" Ziva stated next.

"Yeah, Gibbs, we are really truly sorry about all of this," Abby stated aloud. "This will never happen again…totally promise."

"Good… now get back to work, all of you! DiNozzo, you're with me!" The former Marine announced loudly.

"On your six, Boss!" The young Italian replied back.

"Well, wait, Gibbs…" Abby started to say. "What were you going to tell us?"

The two men stepped into the elevator allowing the doors to close, but not letting the unit move up or down. Within a few moments, an 'oh-my-God' erupted from Tony's mouth that was loud enough for the girls to hear from the lab's doorway. The elevator doors opened again with Tony standing before them, white as a sheet.

"So, what's the big secret, you two?" Ziva questioned to them.

"Oh nothing, we're just…" that was all Tony could say before the elevator doors closed.

Out of nowhere, a loud THUD emitted from the elevator shaft, spooking the girls.

"What-in-hell was that?" Abby wondered aloud.

"I have no idea, but I am going to find out!" Ziva announced stridently.

"Stairs!"

"Exactly! I am right behind you!"

The climb up the stairs would be longer, but it would be worth it to get the full story out of them.

* * *

Almost out of breath, the women found their way to the bullpen, only to find that none of their teammates were there. Panting, both women looked at one another in confusion.

"What-the-hell…" Abby choked out, still breathing heavily. "Where is everyone?"

"This is odd…" Ziva replied back. "Where did McGee go?"

"I have no idea… but, where are Tony & Gibbs?"

Just as that question was asked, a very loud ping sound made them turn towards the elevator. As the doors opened, they anticipated seeing Gibbs, Tony, or both of them walk out. But, to no avail, no one appeared, causing them to become very suspicious of what was going on.

"This is getting really scary, Ziva…" Abby whispered to the agent.

"I know, Abby…" the agent replied just as quiet. "I know…"

Standing in front of the elevator that still had its doors opened, the two girls noticed a small pool of blood on the floor of the unit.

"Oh, no…" the scientist gasped, turning away. "This isn't happening, this isn't happening!"

"Now, Abby, we do not know what really happened…" the agent started to say.

"Oh, but I do!" A familiar voice spoke up from behind them, causing the two women to turn towards it.

McGee stood before them with a wide grin on his face.

"McGee?" Ziva questioned angrily. "Where is everyone?"

"You two are never going to believe this… it's too funny for words." He stated, still smiling at them.

"Jesus Christ, McGee! Will you spill the beans already?!" Abby shouted impatient as ever.

"Wow, Abby, impatient much?"

At that very moment, the scientist ran up and tackled McGee at full speed. Straddling his waist, she held his arms down and would not let him up.

"Tell me what's wrong, McGee…" she growled at him. "Tell me NOW!"

"Fine, fine…" the agent answered. "But, can I be let up first?"

"No!"

"Abby… please… let him alone." Ziva piped up.

"Fine, but if you lie to us, McGee, I'll do that again, but next time, harder!"

"And, I will let her…"

"Okay, fine… I won't lie to us ladies… because the truth is just too damn good!"

"Then, spill!" Abby shouted, finally moving off of him, allowing him to stand up.

Clearing his throat, he smiled and stated two words: "Tony fainted!"

A smile appeared over the mouths of both women simultaneously, maybe because of disbelief and maybe because of pure hilarity. Out of nowhere, Abby started to laugh. It made Ziva laugh as well.

"That is too crazy…" the Israeli beauty chortled. "I cannot believe it!"

"Yeah, seriously," the Goth princess added. "So, why is there still blood in the elevator then?"

"Tony apparently fell backward and clocked his head on the side of the elevator railing. He cut his head open pretty well, and Gibbs had to drive him to the hospital to get stitches."

Both women moaned in fake agony at that statement, before giggling hysterically.

"I wonder what Gibbs told Tony to make him faint…" Abby inquired. "It had to be something really juicy…"

"Well, whatever it was, Abby…" McGee retorted. "We certainly aren't going to find for a while."

"That is for sure…" Ziva chimed in. "Those two cagey sons of witches…"

"Bitches, Ziva… bitches…"

* * *

At the same time that that conversation was going on, there was another going-on in the emergency room at Bethesda Medical Center.

As he lay on his side getting the back of his head stitched up, Tony stared at Gibbs with quiet intent.

"Say what you want to say, Tony…" The lead agent spoke up.

"I'm not going to say anything, Boss…" The senior agent replied, wincing in pain as the doctor made another pass with the needle. "Wasn't I supposed to be numbed before this, Doc?"

"You were, Agent DiNozzo…" the doctor answered, as she finished the procedure.

"All done here, gents… no more fainting now, Agent DiNozzo, ya hear?"

"I heard you loud & clear, Doc…"

"That goes for you, too, Agent Gibbs... don't exert yourself…"

"I'll try not to, Doc... thank you." He said, as he turned and smiled at his senior agent.

"What are you smiling at?" Tony inquired with an irritated tone.

"Not 'what', who..."

"Okay, 'who' are you smiling at? The doctor?"

"No… did that anesthesia do a number on your brain?"

"God, I hope not…"

Gibbs wanted to smack the back of Tony's head so badly, but with his injuries, he couldn't do it. So, he slugged him hard in the shoulder. Tony winced in pain, as if Gibbs would have hit him in the back of the head flat-handed.

"Maybe you shouldn't be so abusive, Boss," DiNozzo announced to his superior. "You heard the doc, 'don't exert yourself'… maybe you shouldn't."

"Tony, I'll be fine… quit worrying about me. Now, let's go…"

As Gibbs turned and walked out of the triage room, Tony quickly followed behind, inquiring, "Gibbs, why shouldn't I worry about you? Now is the perfect time for me to be worried…"

"Tony, knock it off…"

"Gibbs, come on… you need someone to be there for you… someone to help you out…"

"Tony!"

The older agent stopped dead in his tracks and turned to his partner.

"Look, I don't need your help..." He stated, trying to calm down.

"Jethro, don't shut me out…" The younger man replied softly. "I want to be there for you… I want to be a part of your life… I want to be a part of the baby's - -"

"You've done enough, Tony!" Taking a few deep breaths to steady himself, he ended by saying, "You've done enough…"

He didn't want to get emotional; he didn't need to get emotional.

He and Tony were not together anymore; Tony made that choice for the both of them, when he fell in love with someone else.

But, a little piece of his body still loved him no matter what.

He just couldn't break it to his heart… not yet, not now, not ever… just in case he would ever come back to him.

_**TBC?**_


	4. Breakin' Up is Hard to Do!

**Author's Notes: Chapter 4 is here! And, so is the reason behind the break-up!**

**Let me know what you think of it...**

**Thanx.**

* * *

**Chapter 4: "Breakin' Up is Hard to Do!"**

* * *

While driving Tony to his apartment, Gibbs kept thinking of why they broke up in the first place.

It had a couple of months since they parted ways.

It wasn't a pretty break-up for that matter, but Jethro knew one thing for sure: he couldn't have this child alone; he needed Tony…

_***Flashback**__:  
/They were like oil and water some days. _

_This day would be no different. _

_Their anniversary was October 13__th__, and all Gibbs wanted to do was have a nice, relaxing dinner at home with Tony. Tony, on the other hand, wanted to make reservations at a fancy, expensive restaurant. _

_Upon getting home from work, Tony set out to find the perfect restaurant or bistro for their anniversary on his new iPad®: an early anniversary/birthday gift from Gibbs. _

_Gibbs, meanwhile, was in his usual spot: the basement. He was perfectly content, sculpting pieces for his boat. The soft sounds of his wood-working tools, plus the mellow tones of John Coltrane, lulled him into a certain type of calm he only gets when the world is at equilibrium. _

_In the middle of all of the tranquility, he heard one of the stairs creak. Without missing a beat, he spoke up, "How was work?"_

"Boring…as usual. Why didn't you stay?" Tony inquired.

"There was nothing left for me to do, and I figured that you, Ziva & McGee could finish it up..."

Tony wasn't buying it… not at all…

"Are you sure you're okay, Jet?" the younger man questioned again softly.

"Yeah, I'm fine…why?" The silver-haired man responded back, getting tired of answering the same question.

"You've just been so quiet lately. Is there something I need to know?"

"Tony, I'm fine. Just don't worry about me so much..."

"Jet, come on. I'm your partner. I'm your lover. I'm your friend. Why won't you just tell me what's going on?"

Out of nowhere, Gibbs slammed his auger on the stool next to him. He stormed up the stairs past Tony and moved into the kitchen. As he pulled a highball glass from the cupboard and set it on the island counter, Tony stood in silence on the other side.

_He watched as Gibbs reached for a bottle of bourbon out of their liquor cabinet. He poured a bit of the amber liquid into the tumbler and took it all in a big swig. Leaving the glass on the island, he made his way out of the room, up the stairs and into their bedroom. Tony followed, right on his heels, not wanting his partner to do anything stupid._

_"Tony, what is your issue with me?" Gibbs questioned, rather annoyed._

"What are you talking about, Jet? I don't have an issue 'with you…'" the younger man responded, fairly confused by his lover's query. "I've never had any issues with you… I love you…"

The older man groaned in agony, as he started to remove his boat-working clothes.

"Are you even going to say it in return?" Tony inquired, following Gibbs into the bathroom. "Do you even care about 'us' anymore? Do you even care about me anymore?"

"Tony, I don't want to discuss this right now…" He replied, as he started the shower and stepped inside. "It's not the right time for me…"

"Well, then, when-the-fuck is it gonna be the right time, Special Agent Gibbs?!"

Gibbs said nothing; he just stood in the shower, letting the warm jets hit him. He was so mad at Tony, but he didn't know what to say to him.

"What? No answer? No pithy comeback? God, you are so aggravating! Why do I live here with you?! Why-in-the-Hell am I even with you?!" Tony yelled angrily.

The senior field agent stormed out of the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. He quickly made his way to their bedroom, finding 2 duffel bags of his and filling them with clothes, shoes and other accessories. He swiftly made his way out of the house and out to his car, putting the luggage in the back seat.

He didn't know where he was going to stay that night, but he knew he couldn't stay with Gibbs anymore.

He needed to get away from Jethro and their 'relationship', if you could call it that any longer. He just needed to get away.

He drove to the only place he knew that he could be safe: his old apartment. He hadn't sold the place yet, because he wasn't sure whether he & Jethro were exclusively together, plus the older man never told him to sell his apartment and move in with him permanently.

_He began to feel like Gibbs would never ask him to move in permanently; he began to feel like Gibbs didn't want him there at all. Maybe he just didn't want Tony at all. _

_As Tony drove to his old place, Jethro turned off his shower abruptly. He stood in the space in silence, water dripping from every part of his toned military body. He felt horrible. He didn't want things to end with Tony; he loved Tony, but everything was his fault. _

_'_Why didn't I just say '**I love you'**?' _he thought to himself. _'Why didn't I just tell him that I was scared? Why didn't I give him what he wanted? Why can't I do this?_'_

_Somehow he couldn't answer those questions. There would be no one to hear them anyway._

Stepping out of the shower and quickly pulling a towel around his waist, Jethro made his way out of the bathroom and into the bedroom to see the remnants of Tony's wake. Drawers were pulled open and clothes were mustered about. Shoes were missing from their places next to the end-table. Accessories were removed from their previous places, and two duffels of Tony's were gone from the closet.

'He left me', _he thought sadly._ 'He left me and I did nothing to stop him… I'm a fucking idiot…'

_He sat on the edge of the bed and sighed, not knowing what to do. _

_He wanted to go & find Tony and bring him back home, but after that, what could he do to convince Tony to love him again? He could apologize, but what good would it have done? Tony would have accepted it, but he still would have resented Gibbs in the first place for letting everything happen. He could never forgive himself for Tony's unhappiness.__The unhappiness that he caused by not loving him the way he should be loved. _

_He tried so hard not break rule #12, but it was too damn late. _

_He broke it and it broke him. He and Tony were not together. _

_He could fight it, but he was worried that he would lose Tony for good. He had to take that chance. Drying off all of the rest of the dampness, Jethro throw on a pair of boxers, a pair of relaxed blue jeans, a black & white USMC short-sleeved tee-shirt, navy blue socks, and a pair of tennis shoes, making his way downstairs to the living room. _

_Before grabbing his black Carhartt® fleece jacket, wallet and car keys, he ran his hands through his hair to make it look somewhat decent. Slipping on the jacket, he noticed something in one of the sleeves. He pulled it out to discover that it was a black baseball cap… an Ohio State Buckeyes cap… Tony's baseball cap…_

_He remembered that he had lent Tony his jacket on one of their many 'dates'; he must have forgotten it on purpose. Gibbs put on Tony's cap, feeling it flex to fit his head, much like it did to Tony's. He needed to find his partner quickly… he need to find him, before he lost him for good…/ __***Flashback ends.***_

"Gibbs…" A soft voice stated interrupting his memory and shocking him back into reality.

"Yeah?" The older man replied softly.

"You missed the turn to get to my apartment…"

"Oh…" he turned into a driveway swiftly and turned the Challenger around to go back. "Sorry… I was thinking… and I forgot… I'm sorry."

"That's okay, Boss… you're allowed to think sometimes…"

Driving up to Tony's apartment, Jethro felt his chest tighten. He knew that he couldn't go inside with Tony. 'He' would most likely be there, and 'he' & Gibbs didn't get along at all. As the car stopped, both men sat in silence.

"You can come up, you know?" Tony stated lightly. "Ian won't mind…"

"Ian hates me, Tony," Jethro answered matter-of-factly. "You & I both know that."

"Ian doesn't hate you, Gibbs…" his boss's facial reaction to that said everything. "Okay, he mildly despises you, but that's not hate."

"Tony…"

"Gibbs… I need to tell him about 'us' and about 'it'…"

"It's not an 'it', Tony, and Ian Spencer-Wallis doesn't need to know jack-squat about 'us' and what's going on 'with us'."

"Gibbs, he's going to wonder why I have stitches in my head…"

"On-the-job injury… it happens when you're a NCIS agent…"

"Gibbs…"

"Tony, enough! Do not tell Ian anything about my child…"

"'Our' child, Jethro… 'Our' child…"

"Goddamnit, DiNozzo! What-in-the-hell did I ever tell you about the baby?"

"I don't know, Boss… I am beginning to wonder about that question myself…"

Getting out of the car angrily, Tony slammed the door behind him hard.

He made his way around the vehicle and up to the front door of his apartment complex, entering the building just as Gibbs pulled away from it.

Driving off, Jethro sighed loudly, trying to hold back his emotions.

He had really done it now.

He was never going to get Tony back at this rate.

Never.

**TBC?**

* * *

_A/N: So, what do you think?_


	5. Who's the New Guy?

**Author's Notes: Here is chapter five, and we finally figure out who is the mystery man that Tony is living with.**

**All of my chapters are all unbetaed... sorry in advance to you, my readers, and my editor, Alisa... **

**I do my best to find all of the errors by reading my chapters over & over again, before putting them on here and reading them again.**

**Hope you like the chapter.**

**Thanks.**

* * *

Upon entering his apartment, Tony noticed that it was quiet.

He made his way back to the living room couch and laid down, turning the television on to _SportsCenter_ (like he did every night after work, since he'd 'moved out' of Gibbs' house).

Ian wasn't home yet; being a law student & all, meant tons of constant studying. Tony didn't mind it; he hadn't known Ian for long.

They had just met the younger man after his 'break-up' (if you could call it that) with Gibbs. Tony's father, Anthony Sr., was in town, 'charming' a new 'client' and some old ones, and wanted Tony to join him for dinner. Tony had initially declined, but upon hearing his father regale Tony with stories about a guy named Ian, he had to at least make an appearance to make his father content.

He didn't have to stay long, and if this 'great soon-to-be hotshot lawyer', as Tony Sr. would often remark, wasn't worth beans, he would immediately leave. 'You might like him, Tony', his father stated to him. 'You two should become very close, I know it.'

It was odd that his father was introducing him to random men; he knew his father too be so cordial…

*_**Flashback:**_

_/Upon entering the expensive restaurant (which he knew his father could not afford to eat in), Tony told the maitre-d his name and was shown to the table where the older DiNozzo was seated. Around the table were some familiar faces (many of them 'business partners' of his father's) and a couple he had never seen before. One of them was female and one a younger male._

_"Anthony…" the older DiNozzo stated with a smile. "You made it, son…"_

_"I almost didn't, Dad…" Tony responded back._

_"Here, take a seat next to the beautiful Madelena, and we'll order some food."_

_"Fine…"_

_Tony took his seat between one of his father's business colleagues (who continued to talk to his father about different business 'deals') and 'the beautiful Madelena', whom he had assumed he had never met before. She was younger than his father, much older than himself however._

_Her olive skin and deep brown hair had reminded him of a photo of someone he had seen in his father's apartment once, but the girl he saw was younger. She smiled at him, her deep brown eyes locked on his, and he knew she had to be the same person, but who was she?_

_"You look so much like your father now, so grown-up. It's uncanny…" she stated lightly, before taking a sip of her red wine. "He's been talking about you a lot, you know…"_

_"I bet he does. You look so familiar… do I know you?" Tony inquired in return._

_"You should…but you've never called me Madelena before, like your father does…"_

_Just as she said that she pulled her hair back and pulled a pair of glasses from her purse. Putting the bifocals on, she turned and looked him & smiled, causing a memory to flash into his head. He 'had' seen her before. She was the girl in his father's residence and he knew immediately who she was._

_She was…_

_"Lane…" he spoke up softly. "Oh my God… you're Lane Spencer… you used to babysit me, when I was little."_

_"That's right, Tony, that was me. But I'm not called Lane much anymore these days… I go by Madelena now." She answered with a smile._

_"Wow, I haven't seen you in forever…"_

_"Likewise, Tony… I've moved up in the world. I am no longer one of your father's maids and no longer a babysitter. I went to college, got a degree, and I own my own business now."_

_"With my father's help no less?"_

_"Tony, don't act that way… he was helping us out. He was helping me & Ian get on our feet."_

_" 'Ian'? You got married?"_

_"Oh, no, I'm not married anymore…though some days I wish. Ian is my son…"_

_She pointed down to the young man seated next to Anthony Sr. and his mouth gaped open. The younger man seated next to his father was perfect._

_With his toned features, faultless dark hair, and a smile that could move mountains, Ian was an ideal specimen for Tony to test out. Ian saw Tony gawking at him and started to grin. He smiled at Tony and waved him over to where he was seated with Anthony Sr._

_Tony couldn't pass up the opportunity to meet such a handsome guy, so he got up quickly and moved over to him. Seeing this, Anthony Sr. finished his conversation point and turned to the two men, who were smiling at one another._

_"Well, boys, it's a good thing you two finally met…" he started. "I was beginning to think that you never would. Tony, this is Ian Spencer-Wallis, future district attorney for the great state of Maryland…"_

_"In your dreams, maybe…" the young man spoke up with a smile, nudging Anthony Sr. in the shoulder._

_"And, Ian, this is Tony. He's a federal agent with N.C.I.S."_

_"N.C.I.S., huh? Wow, that's amazing… we both must have gotten the good genes in the family, am I right?"_

_"Yeah, I'm sure…" Tony replied, wondering what the young man meant by that statement. "So, what law firm do you work for?"_

_"I don't… I'm still in college. I'm a senior at Georgetown."_

_"Really, so that would make you...how old exactly?"_

_"I just turned 22… and, how old are you?"_

_"Way older than that…"_

_"Oh, whatever…you are just being modest. Come on; tell me how old you are…"_

_"You really want to know?"_

_"Yes, I really want to know…"_

_"Alright, I'm 40…"  
_

_"That means that you were 18, when I was born…"_

_"Yeah, it does…"_

_This made Tony think. When he was 18, his life was different. He was at Rhode Island Military Academy and he was a popular 4_

_thyear (a.k.a. a senior). Fellow students liked him, mostly because they didn't know about his background, other than the fact that his mother had passed away and his father rarely visited him. Tony knew that his father was gallivanting around with random women, looking for his newest 'job'. But at 18, he didn't let anyone know this annoying factoid to save face._

_"I wish I would have known you all of these years…" Ian stated lightly. "Its kind-of odd that he never told you about me until now…"_

_"Wait," Tony interrupted the younger man. "What are you talking about, 'he never told you about me until now'? What is that all about?"_

_"He never told you that I was your -"_

_The stunned look on Ian's face after that told the rest of the story._

_Anthony Sr. had never told Tony about him before this moment. _

_Tony had no idea about who Ian really was. None. And, now, Tony was about to find out the biggest shocker of his life./ __***Flashback ends.*  
**__  
_A nagging, obnoxious noise awoke Tony.

It was a telephone ringing, but as he got up to answer it, the answering machine popped on, stating, "Hey, you've reached us guys. Leave a message, and we'll talk at you ASAP. Bye…"

After the loud beep, the person on the other end of the call started to speak, "Hey, Bro… it's me… just thought I'd tell you that I wasn't going to be home. The beautiful Hannah Jordan-Ellis and I are going to be 'studying' a little later than usual tonight, if you catch my drift… so don't wait up, alright? Talk to ya later, man… bye!"

Tony smiled softly to himself. Ian was definitely like him and his father in so many ways. It was as if he had a twin, just 18 years too late to make a tighter bond.

No one else knew how he & Ian were related, yet Gibbs somehow was aware of their 'resemblance' (just like he noticed anything else in life).

Gibbs had a feeling something was a wee bit fishy about Ian Spencer-Wallis, when he first saw him with Tony. This would cause him to investigate the young man thoroughly, making the rift between him & Tony larger.

If Ian and Tony were 'together', the young man had a lot of explaining to do about everything. However, since he & Gibbs weren't together anymore, Ian's secrets could possibly stay just that: secrets.

Tony thought otherwise, believing that it would soon be the time to give Gibbs the satisfaction of knowing that he wasn't living with and loving someone else.

_**TBC?**_


	6. Don't Spill the Beans

**Author's Notes: Hello, everyone!**

**Here is the new chapter... Gibbs is going to finally reveal something to Tony... and, Ziva spills the beans...**

**Let me know what you think of this one!**

**Have fun!**

**:)**

_**- H.I.**_

* * *

**Chapter 6: Spill the Beans... Reveal the Future...**

* * *

_****__****A month later…****__**  
**__**  
**_He felt horrible yet again.

Morning sickness racked his body as soon as he woke up at 0500. He had thought about calling in sick, but that wasn't him; he was never sick enough to stay home.

Plus, he had another appointment that morning with Dr. MacKenzie. He had left a message a week before that day with Vance's answering service, telling him that he had another doctor's appointment scheduled for that day, and that he would gone for part of the day yet again.

Vance never returned his call and never asked him what was wrong; Gibbs knew he'd see the man at work eventually. After taking a shower, he dressed in his normal attire (a navy blue sports coat and dress pants, gray-blue polo shirt with white undershirt and black dress shoes). He made his way down to the kitchen, trying to find something to eat that wouldn't make him sick.

He was out the door like always no later than 0600, trying to beat the DC traffic into work. Before making it there, he stopped off at his normal spot for his usual morning pick-me-up.

As soon as he entered the coffee shop, however, things immediately changed. The sweet smell of java that once made him smile and moan with delight was now making him particularly nauseous.

Taking a couple of deep breaths with his hand covering his nose trying to shield the rank aroma of Jamaican Blend, he found his way to the counter and ordered something that he never would have ordered before in his life: a decaf coffee… black, of course.

It was a weird sight, and he could tell that his usual barista, Matt, was thoroughly confused upon hearing it. But he did as he was told and poured Gibbs a tall, black decaf cup of his favorite blend coffee in a to-go cup.

Knowing it was not his standard beverage of choice, he took a big swig out of it, trying to trick his mind into thinking it was his normal blend. It didn't work. By the time he made it to his car, Gibbs felt the bile rising up in his throat.

He was going to be sick… thanks to that damn coffee.

It was not going to be a good day after all.

* * *

As he got into the NCIS building a little before 0700, he found that Ziva was the only person in the bullpen. He shuffled past her, stating, "Mornin', Ziver…"

"Good morning, Gibbs…" she answered back softly, still engrossed in her current case paperwork.

"Are you feeling okay this morning?"

"Oh yeah, 'm fine… just want to get this paperwork done on the Hobart case before I have to deal with Tony."

"Good idea. By the way, where are Moe & Larry?"

The former Mossad smiled, knowing her boss' reference was to The Three Stooges.

"Last time I saw McGee, he said he was headed downstairs to talk with Abby," she retorted. "And, I have yet to see or hear from Tony... I thought he would know spoken to you first…"

"No, I haven't said a word to me, and I don't find it odd that he isn't here on time…"

"Why?"

Just as she asked that, the elevator doors opened and out walked one of the men in question. Wearing a pair of dark blue dress jeans, a light blue striped dress shirt showing a bit of his white tank underneath, and a pair of black dress boots, Tony strode in with a big smile on his face. He obviously had a good night, or at least, both Gibbs & Ziva assumed he did.

"Good time last night, Tony?" Ziva questioned aloud.

"Oh yeah, Ziva…" he replied, still smiling. "It was very eventful…"

"Did you spend it with Ian?"

"I did, of course… spent time with Ian and his best buddy Seth, the beautiful Miss Hannah Jordan-Ellis, and the equally enchanting Laryn Rieko Lynn."

"Wow, are they like bimbos…or something?"

"No, they are 'not' bimbos, Zee-Vah! I resent that insinuation! They are actually brilliant genius-level college seniors, who are studying law at Georgetown University and also, just happen to be swimsuit models in the _'Women of Georgetown'_calendar."

"Well, I always had a feeling that you liked them young, DiNozzo," Gibbs chimed in, in his usual tone. "But, I never knew you liked them _'that'_young…"

The quip about looking partners who are younger than him stung Tony a wee bit. So he did the only thing he knew that he could do: zing Gibbs right back with an age joke of his own…

"Oh, I don't like them young, Boss…" he began to say. "Those ladies are friends of Ian's; so I gave them some mutual admiration. They understood me, so I understood them. Plus, you know of all people should know, Boss, that I don't like my sexual partners to be as young as my brother, the Autopsy Gremlin, or McVirgin… far from it actually. I usually go for the ones that are closer to Ducky's age…"

As he heard that statement, Gibbs shot Tony one of his disapproving glares, before getting up from his desk and moving towards the elevator. The other two team members saw this happen, and as soon as Gibbs disappeared into the elevator car, they turned back to one another with astonishment.

"Think I struck a nerve?" Tony inquired out loud with a sarcastic tone.

"No, he is just hormonal, like always…" Ziva replied, not knowing how right she was.

"So, what did you mean about partners not being as young as your brother? Is there something you are not telling me, Tony?"

"Ziva, I meant exactly what I said, and yes, there is something I'm not telling you..."

"And, what is that?"

"None of your beeswax…"

"Tony…"

"Alright, fine… I'll tell you. Here goes… Ian is not my partner; he's my younger brother… well, actually, he's my younger half-brother, but that's just semantics. He is not my lover or my life-partner, like everyone around here happens to think. I met him a while back, thanks to my father and his ever-charming forgetfulness. We become good friends and started to act like brothers should do. We hang out at bars… we play basketball and football together, as well as a bunch of other stuff. A couple of months ago, Ian needed someone to occupy the other room in his apartment, after his other roommate moved out. He didn't think he'd have enough money to keep it by himself, so I told him that I would move in temporarily and help him out."

"Wow, Tony… I am astonished by this whole situation. So, wait… hold on a moment… you are not living with Gibbs anymore?"

"Never was really living there anyways… not since our last anniversary when we had a huge fight…"

"Oh, Tony, I am sorry…"

"It's alright, Ziva… no big deal. I just wish that he would get off his high-horse and admit that everything failed, because it was all his fault. But I know that's never gonna happen. And, now, I have to deal with the baby coming… it's all going so great for Tony DiNozzo this year…so great…"

"Wait, wait, wait…back it up a few frames… who is having a baby with you?"

"Gibbs…" Upon hearing himself say that name, he cringed, "Oh-kay, I don't think I should I have said that…"

A look of utter shock ran across Ziva's face as she heard the name of her boss and 'having a baby' all in the same sentence.

"Oh yeah, you should have… is that why you fainted in the elevator last month and had to get stitches?" She questioned to her coworker.

"Ziva, don't you dare tell anyone I told you, especially Gibbs! I told you in totally confidence about this," DiNozzo responded back to her nervously. "Don't go blab to anyone!"

"I promise, Tony… not a sound to anyone. My word is my bond…"

She had to tell someone else about this new revelation and fast.

She needed someone else to know about the reason behind Tony's fainting and Gibbs's doctors' appointments.

She needed to tell Abby.

* * *

_**Later that day…  
**__**  
**_Gibbs walked into the doctor's office on time as usual. As he wrote his name on the clipboard at the nurses' station, his favorite nurse smiled at him, like she normally did, as she moved towards him.

"Good morning, Agent Gibbs…" she stated to him lightly.

"Good morning, Noreen…" he replied, smiling back at her. "How are the folks?"

"Good as always. Saw Tony in here not too long ago. Said you two weren't living together anymore… I'm sorry…"

"That's quite alright, Noreen… things happen..."

"That they do, Agent Gibbs… but I am in the same boat as you are… guess we all can't win in the game of love sometimes."

"Guess not…"

He walked away from the desk and found a seat in the waiting room. He took a deep breath to calm himself down.

He couldn't believe Tony would blab about their relationship to other people, but it was Tony, so what couldn't he believe?

After 10 minutes of waiting, he heard his name called by Noreen, and with her, he made his way into one of the many examining rooms. Noreen promptly took his weight, blood pressure, pulse and temperature all in rapid succession, not allowing any time for ideal chit-chat.

As she finished getting his temperature written down, Dr. MacKenzie appeared out of nowhere, ready to get to work.

"Slow day at the office, Doc?" Gibbs spoke up with a smile.

"Actually, yes… you are one of my first appointments of the day," she answered smiling back. "And, I know that you'll be one of my easier ones."

"God I hope so…"

"From your lips to God's ears, Agent Gibbs…"

Noreen promptly readied the instruments for the ultrasound as Dr. MacKenzie did all of your routine procedures.

"Any more nausea, vomiting, cramping, Jethro?" She questioned matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, it's like clockwork every morning…" He answered truthfully. "This morning, I couldn't believe it happened at D.C. Beans…"

"What? Vomiting?"

"No, feeling nauseous…"

"Oh, the smell of coffee made you feel sick, huh? I was wondering why you didn't have a cup of your favorite brew in your hand…"

"Yeah, it was worse though, Doc… I couldn't even drink any coffee this morning."

"Well, that's good… one less thing I have to warn you not to do anymore… No more caffeine. I've seen the amount you drink… way too much for someone who is pregnant."

"Are you telling me to cut back?"

"Are you kidding, Jethro? For you, cut back is an understatement. You should only consume up to 3 cups maximum of anything caffeinated a week. Maybe you should start drinking caffeine-free diet soda or tea; it might not taste better, but it won't make you nauseous."

"Maybe, Doc…"

As the doctor finished her usual actions, she saw that Noreen was ready to work and all of the equipment was set to be used.

"Alright, Jethro… lift your shirt, unbutton your pants, and we'll get started."

Gibbs did as he was told, as Noreen placed a hospital towel on top of his pelvis to catch any gel that decided to get away. She then applied the liberal amount of the warm goop to his stomach, allowing the doctor to move the paddle across it to get an accurate picture of the person growing inside of him.

"Jethro, according to my calendar, you are **19 weeks**, so that means a lot of things…" the doctor began to say. "It means that you can, if you want to, find out the sex of the baby, and you should be able to soon feel it kick. And, I see that you are starting to get bigger. Have you noticed either the bump or kicking?"

"The bump, yes…the kicking, no…"

"Well, you will soon…and, trust me, it will be an experience…"

A few moments later, the doctor stopped what she was doing and turned the screen to Gibbs.

"Take a look at this kid of yours, Jethro…" she spoke up with a smile. "Heartbeat is moving fast, growth measurements are where they should be, even the test results from the amino say the baby's just right… face it, you've got the perfect baby living inside of you… wish I would have been you, when I was pregnant with my first one."

"Oh, your son's not that bad of a kid, is he, Doc?"

"Who, Liam? Oh, no…he's a great kid. And, now that he's not living in my house anymore, he's an even better kid… thank you, College. When I was pregnant with him, however, I had the worst morning sickness, worst back pain, worst everything. I thought he was going to come out sick or deformed, but right after I had him, I saw his little face & big eyes, and that's when I knew it: all of my worries & worsts were all gone."

"That sounds like something I need to wish for."

"Oh, you'll be fine… that kid of yours is most definitely a Gibbs… maybe Tony in the looks department, but all you elsewhere. But, enough about that other stuff, Jethro… have you made a decision on whether or not you want to know the sex of the baby?"

**TBC?**


	7. Here's what we're having

**Author's**** Notes: Hello, all... here is the next chapter in the storyline. **

**The ultimate reveal is HERE!**

**I will leave you with only that...**

**- H.I.**

* * *

**Chapter**** Seven**_**:**__** "Here's what we're having..."**_

* * *

"Have you made a decision on whether or not you want to know the sex of the baby?" The doctor asked him with a smile.

"Actually, Doc, I think I have…" He answered back confidently.

"And, that answer is…"

"I would like to know what I am having, but I want you to promise me something…"  
"Anything for you, Jethro… well, anything within reason, that is… what did you need?"

"Don't tell Tony… that means you too, Noreen..."

"Your secret is safe with me, Jethro."

"I am not that good at keeping baby secrets from friends, Agent Gibbs, so I think I'll excuse myself now and save us all the trouble." The young nurse announced.

"A wise choice," Dr. MacKenzie replied, as Noreen exited the room. She turned back to Gibbs, and began again, "Alright, let's see what you are having… any bets?"

"None…"

"Good…then, there will be no let-downs…"

He always had a desire to know what they were having.

It was just a matter of time and biology.

He also thought that Tony would be there with him, by his side.

One out of two: interesting odds.

As the doctor moved the ultrasound instrument through the warm gel, Gibbs' mind raced back to a time. He & Tony had a discussion about kids before now, but not the way it was happening.  
**  
**Flashback…**

_/It was a lazy Sunday afternoon for the both of them._

_No outstanding cases to worry about, so they were safe to relax another day, but for Gibbs, there was no such thing as 'relax'._

_He sat in his usual spot on the couch, reading some papers in one hand, while his other hand slide through the head of hair of the man lying on the couch near him. Tony loved this time of the day._

_This was his time to be with Gibbs with no one else bothering them. He would usually lay on the couch, watching a game or something else on_

_**ESPN** or **ESPN2**, on their new 58" flat-screen television (thanks to Tony's $1850 splurge at the electronics store), while attempting to stay awake as strong fingers danced through his hair, massaging his scalp, calming him down._

_Tony laid there, remembering a conversation the next door neighbors (Ruth & Paul, an older couple, who have been Gibbs' neighbors, since he, Shannon & Kelly lived in the place) were having with them, when they came over for an early dinner the night before._

_He remembered them asking when he & Gibbs were going to settle down and make their partnership official; what else Gibbs was going to make in the basement; what sport he was going to play next over the summer; among other things._

_But, the one thing that stuck in his mind the most was the question asked out of the blue by Ruth. Jethro took Paul inside to the basement to show him his newest creation, while Tony & Ruth stayed outside on the deck, when she asked, 'So, Tony, when are you & Jethro going to have children?'_

_They hadn't really thought about it at that point in their relationship._

_Kids were always on the back burner, but they were on the priority list. So, Tony simply stated, 'We'll have some, when we're ready.'_

_Ruth smiled at him and left the conversation at that, before starting up a new one about Jethro's garden. He never told Jethro what he & Ruth discussed that evening, until now._

_Moving back to the present, Tony took a deep breath and stated lightly, "Jet, have you ever thought about us having kids?"_

_"Yeah, Tony," Gibbs answered, still engrossed in his paperwork. "I've thought about us having kids together…"_

_Tony always knew that Gibbs wanted children after Kelly passed away._

_He tried having at least with each of his other wives, but two of his 3 exes had miscarriages and the other just didn't like small children._

_Gibbs figured that Tony was like Ginger (i.e. no children – I have a career instead). Gibbs also had to consider his age; he was no spring chicken anymore._

_'There's a 'but' coming,' Tony thought to himself. 'I can feel it… please don't say 'but', Jethro…please.'_

_"But," Gibbs started again. "I just don't think it's going to happen…"_

_"Jet, why not?" Tony questioned, worried what he meant by that statement. "You're a virile, very attractive, charming, respectful man, who has an equally attractive, charming, virile guy for a lover & life-partner. Why don't you think that we could have a baby?"_

_Gibbs knew that they could have a baby (due to Tony's newest biological discovery, thanks to one Dr. Francesca MacKenzie), but with his track record on children, he was zero for four._

_When Gibbs said nothing, Tony started up again, "Let me guess, you don't want to have children with me, because you think that it'll hurt me, am I right?"_

_"Tony, not just anyone can have a baby…" Gibbs replied. "You're special…"_

_"But, not special enough to have a baby with?"_

_"Tony…"_

_"Jethro, please…let's make a baby…"_

_Looking deeply into his partner's eyes, Gibbs pulled Tony closer, taking over his mouth with a soft, smooth kiss. The kiss seemed to last hours, but it was only mere minutes, before Tony pulled away, and asked with a smile, "So, is that a 'yes'?"_

_Gibbs gave his lover a coy grin, before pulling him in again for another kiss._

_This time, it was deeper than before. Nothing else was said about having children the rest of that night and onto the next. /_ _****Flashback ends.**_

"Jethro, are you ready to see what you're having?" The doctor questioned aloud, knocking Gibbs back into reality.

"Yeah, let's do this… I want to know…" He answered back, ready for anything._  
_

* * *

_**Meanwhile, back at N.C.I.S. Headquarters:**_

Ziva could not contain herself any longer.

She raced downstairs to the lab to reveal the good & extraordinary news to her Goth friend. As she entered the room, she found that she & the scientist would not be alone.

"McGee…" she stated aloud.

"Ziva…" The young agent retorted back. "What are you doing down here?"

"Looking for Abby and for you, for that matter…where is Abby anyway?"

"Right here, Zee…" a familiar voice replied, entering from another room in the lab.  
"What can I do for you today?"

"Actually it is something I need to tell both of you…"

"Okay, speak…"

"Gibbs is pregnant!"

The room went silent as shock first ran across the scientist and geek agent's faces, then they both began to smile, which lead to them laughing hysterically, still not believing what they had heard.

"Okay, wait…" McGee started to say, as he tried to catch his breath. "Are you saying that Gibbs is going to have a kid with Tony?"

"If I am lying, I am trying…"

"Its '_dying_', Ziva… and, that's what we're doing now… with laughter."

"You guys, I am telling the truth here."

"Sure, Ziva. Sure… Besides," Abby quickly added. "Who told you Gibbs was pregnant?"

"Tony…"

The laughter became louder and more out of control, when she told them that, even though she knew it was the truth. As the two lab rats continued their uproarious giggle fest, the elevator pinged and Tony exited the metal cage, swiftly moving into the lab.

"What's so funny, you two?" He wondered to them.

"Oh, Ziva just told us the most amazing joke, Tony..." McGee answered, still chuckling.

"What about, may I ask?"

"Oh, she said that Gibbs was pregnant and you're the father…" Abby sounded with a few sniggers. "Isn't that hilarious?"

He couldn't believe what he just heard.

Tony turned to his former Mossad friend, who was still in the room, and gave her an angry stare, before stating furiously, "I told you that in total confidence, Ziva!"

That outburst made both Abby & McGee stop laughing.

The realization came into both of their brains at the same time: Ziva was telling the truth, Gibbs was pregnant for real, and Tony was the father. Abby gasped loudly, before tears began to form in her eyes. She quickly moved to Tony and hugged him close.

"Oh, Tony…" she spoke softly, as she started to cry. "I'm so sorry… I shouldn't have laughed. I should have believed Ziva…"

"Its okay, Abby… it was a big shock to me too, when I found out. That's why I had to go the hospital for stitches that one day."

"Oh my God…"

"Tony, man, I'm sorry, too," McGee chimed in. "I shouldn't have been such a jerk. I should have taken what Ziva was saying to us seriously."

"Thanks, McGeek…"

"So, how's Gibbs?" Abby inquired, still holding onto her friend. "I heard he had another doctor's appointment today. I thought you'd be there with him."

"To tell you the truth, I wish I was there with him, but I wasn't asked…"

"Why do you need an invitation, Tony? You are the father…" Ziva added, wondering about her friend as well.

"That's just it, Ziva. I may be the father, but I'm not with Gibbs…"

"What?"

"I left him two months ago… I'm living with my brother now."

"Wait, hold on a minute here..." McGee stated to his friend. "You aren't with Gibbs anymore 'and' you have a brother, who we know nothing about?"

"Yeah, Mc-'Welcome-Back-To-the-Conversation'… I have a half-brother named Ian. My dad had an affair with one of his maids, and that resulted in his birth. I wasn't told about him until recently; my father thought it was best that we never met, but I guess that was thrown out the window, when we finally did. Back to the present, he couldn't afford his apartment anymore, so I told him I'd help him out for a bit. I live in one room and he lives in the other… a match made in brotherly heaven, I guess..."

Out of nowhere, in the quiet of the lab, he added sadly, "You know what the sad thing is, you guys… I kinda wish I didn't have to live with my brother… I kinda wish I was still with Gibbs…"

Everyone noticed Tony's demeanor change from angry to sad instantaneously.

As a lone tear ran down his face, Abby gave him a hug, which he accepted, keeping her close.

He needed someone to back him up. He needed to let his friends know what was going on, instead of bottling everything inside of himself.

He needed this.

* * *

_**Back at the doctor's office…**_

The doctor was still busily looking around the ultrasound for the right picture of the baby to see if she could tell if it was a boy or a girl. Finding what she was looking for, she turned the monitor to show Gibbs.

"Well, Jethro, take a look at this…" She spoke up with a smile.

She had typed the sex of the baby on the monitor, and upon seeing it, Gibbs smiled.

Taking a deep breath to center himself, he looked at the screen again and saw the sex.

"I'll make a bunch of photos of the baby and the sex reveal for you, okay?" Dr. MacKenzie stated lightly, as she wiped the rest of the ultrasound goo off his belly.

"No…" he replied. "Just one… for me… with the baby's sex on it. The rest, leave blank please."

"Sure... I think this is one secret you should keep to yourself until you're ready to tell it."

Gibbs wasn't sure that he wanted anyone else to know what he was having.

He wasn't a cruel man, but this situation caused him to decide whether he'd tell the sex of the baby to Tony or not.

* * *

_**Later that day… back at N.C.I.S.:**_

Tony found his way back upstairs to the bullpen quietly, still upset by what had happened in Abby's lab. He needed to be alone; thankfully, Gibbs was still nowhere in sight.

As he walked back to his desk, he noticed a box sitting on it.

He was nervous opening it, not wanting or needing another bout of the plague, not noticing the tag that came with it. But as he lifted the top, he looked and saw lying before him facing down, was a handmade picture frame with a stand on the back.

Flipping it and studying the photo inside, he covered his mouth. Tears welled up in his eyes, but this time, he couldn't stop them like he had before.

He was too vulnerable now.

A sob began to rack his body and he didn't want it to escape, alerting everyone to his blight. He held it back with a smile and laugh, still allowing the tears to fall down his face.

He quickly found a place on his desk for the photo, knowing he'd have to look at it every day until he received a new one.

Smiling at it again, he whispered softly, "I'll always be there for you… no matter what…"

Standing up from his desk, he made his way to the bathroom to wipe off his face. He had to look like hell. That was the last thing that he needed anyone to see.

While he was gone, Ziva & McGee reappeared in the bullpen, also noticing Gibbs' absence, and now Tony's.

Ziva was first to notice the box on Tony's desk, and she alerted McGee to it as well. The two of them went over and investigated it, reading the tag that simply stated one word, "Tony…" and noting that there was nothing inside of it.

Upon seeing their friend and fellow agent returning from the bathroom, they moved back to their desks. Both became aware of the fact that he had been crying from the redness on his face and puffiness around his eyes. Ziva & McGee continued to wonder as they began to work again what Tony had received.

Neither of them were aware, however, that Tony's 'present' was in full view the whole time.

Sitting inside of the handmade picture frame was an ultrasound photo of a baby with one simple phrase printed on it:

_"It's a boy!"_

**TBC?**

* * *

_A/N: So were you guessing that it was going to be a boy? _


	8. Not Quite Clandestine

**Author's Notes: Hi, everybody! Sorry this took forever to update. **

**Have fun and happy reading!**

* * *

**Chapter Eight - Not Quite Clandestine.**

* * *

When Gibbs finally exited MTAC, he saw Ziva, McGee and Tony in the squad room. He made his way downstairs and into the back elevator, surprised that he wasn't seen by McGee or Tony or both.

Taking a deep breath, he pressed the button to head to the morgue to talk to the only person who understood him better than he knew himself.

In the bullpen, meanwhile, Ziva and McGee continued to stare at Tony.

He was oddly quiet, lying with his arms covering over his head on his desk.

They looked at one another and shrugged, before moving over to his desk yet again.

"Tony, are you alright?" Tim wondered to his friend.

"Fine… never better…" the senior field agent replied, muffled by his arms.

"Did something just happen?"

"No… not that I know of… I'm just tired…"

"Tony, we saw a box on your desk earlier…" Ziva chimed in, ignoring McGee's headshakes  
of 'no' against it.

"You 'what'?"

"We saw the box with your name on it, Tony…" Tim countered, disheartened that he had to admit it. "We just wondered what you had received…"

"A gift… nothing too major…"

"Oh, that is nice," the former Mossad agent spoke up with a nervous smile. "Someone must be happy with you…"

"If you two wanna know what I got, just ask me, before I find out you were snooping again…"

"Oh, Tony, we were not 'snooping'… we are trained investigators; we do not need to do that."

"Sure, Zee-vah… sure…"

As the young Israeli continued to ramble, Tim swiftly noticed a new item on Tony's desk that he hadn't seen there before. It was a handmade photo frame with an ultrasound photo.

The photo had some wording on it, but Tim could barely read it.

He figured that 'that' was the gift. A gift from Gibbs most likely.

Without warning, he nudged Ziva with his shoulder to get her to stop talking.

She looked at him and frowned, before he stated, looking deeply into her eyes, "I think we should leave him alone and get back to work."

"Yeah, I think that is a good idea, McGee…"

Both agents moved quietly back to their respective desks, leaving their friend in silence. After a few moments, Tony got up from his desk and moved towards the back elevator, but not before stopping in front of McGee's desk, "If the boss wonders, or if he evens cares, tell him I went for a walk..."

"Sure thing, Tony…" the younger agent answered timidly.

As Tony disappeared in the elevator, the agents left in the squad room looked at one another yet again with confusion.

"What was that about?" Ziva wondered aloud.

"I have no clue, but…" McGee got up and swiftly moved to the senior field agent's desk, grabbing the new photo frame from there.

He studied it more closely, reading the wording on the photograph, before handing it to his friend. As she grabbed it from him, he retorted, "I think whatever it is… it has to do with this photo..."

* * *

When Gibbs found his way down to Ducky, the medical examiner had just finished an autopsy. Palmer was busily cleaning the instruments, taking out the 'garbage' and clearing the area of any remnants of a dead body or the procedure.

Ducky saw in his periphery that Gibbs standing in the doorway. This alarmed him; he remembered telling Gibbs not to come downstairs because of the chemical fumes, but it was Gibbs. That order was not being followed.

"Jethro…" the M.E. approached the man, swiftly moving him into the hallway near the elevator. "You should not be down here."

"Duck…" the senior agent cracked out. "I need to talk to you…"

"Fine, we'll do it out here… what is it, my friend?"

Turning his back to the medical examiner, Gibbs noticed another tear escaped one of his eyes. He didn't want to get emotional and hormonal about the whole situation, so he quickly cleared the droplet and its trail from his face.

"Jethro… what's going on?" Ducky questioned once again. "Is it the baby?"

"Oh, no… the baby's fine," the agent affirmed. "'_He_'s' doing great… doctor said that '_he_'s' according to plan in every aspect…"

"'_He_', Jethro?"

"Yeah, Duck… '_He'... _I found out today at my appointment."

"Well, congratulations… 'Mazel tov', as our dear Ziva would say…"

Ducky immediately noticed the change in Gibbs' demeanor; he wasn't very happy about something. This had to be a serious matter, because the agent had turned away from his friend completely.

"I'm guessing this is not good news…" he inquired, concerned like a father would be of his son. "Or, is something else the matter entirely?"

Ducky turned the other man around, noticing that his eyes were now red and puffy.

"Duck, I screwed up…" Gibbs admitted through a harsh, emotional whisper. "I screwed up royally…"

* * *

_**Later that afternoon…  
**__**  
**_As the elevator pinged and the doors opened, he noticed that no one was moving around in autopsy. Making his way inside, he noticed Palmer sitting at Ducky's desk, finishing up last minute paperwork for the coroner.

"Hey, Tony…" the coroner's assistant stated with a smile. "What are you doing down here?"

"Where's the Ducker, Black Lung?" He inquired aloud, scouting the room softly.

"He left for his lunch hour already…"

Glancing at his watch, he noticed the team. It was way early for Ducky to head on his lunch; he didn't usually go until 12 or 12:30pm.

"Interesting…" Tony uttered, annoyed that he wasn't there. "Know when he'll be back?"

"No, not really… he was having a serious conversation though before he left…"

"With whom, Palmer?"

"Agent Gibbs… he came down here, looking very unstoic for a Marine..."

"How so, kid?"

"He was upset… it was odd…"

"Hormones probably…" Tony muttered under his breath.

"What was that, Tony?"

"Nothing… go on… continue…"

"Well, from what I could tell, Gibbs was acting unusual, so Dr. Mallard took him out into the hallway. And from there, I couldn't tell what was going on, until before they left, when I walked past the doors. Gibbs said something out of the ordinary to him."

"What did he say?"

"I think he said something like, 'I screwed up royally'…"

Tony had a feeling what Gibbs meant by that.

He screwed royally with Tony.

He was finally admitting it to someone; Tony just wished that he would have been the first one to hear it.

"Do you know where they were going to eat, Jimmy?" The agent questioned to the younger man.

"Not sure, but they might be going back to the doc's house…" the assistant answered.

"That's where Dr. Mallard usually goes for lunch and to have tea…"

"Thanks, man… you've been a great help…"

"You're welcome…"

Tony swiftly exited the space, g0ing to the elevator to head upstairs.

When he reached the squad room again, he moved to his desk, quickly grabbing his car keys and cell phone, before practically running to board the front elevator. McGee & Ziva watched the whole thing as it happened, confused now more than ever by the whole situation.

Tony, for the moment, knew what had to do: he had to go to Ducky's, find Jethro, and get out everything that was bothering them.

He needed to tell Gibbs the real reason why he left…

… He needed him to know about Ian…

… And, that he needed Gibbs…

He needed him more now than anyone else in the world.

**TBC?**


	9. Shout, let it all out

**Author's Notes: Hey! Here's another update! WOOT! Have fun and happy reading!**

* * *

_**Chapter Nine… Shout, let it all out...**_

* * *

The drive to the medical examiner's house was quiet, which was surprising, especially in Ducky's Morgan. Both men, strong in their convictions, kept silent, until they had a space to express their emotions.

Upon their arrival, Gibbs took a deep breath and exited the vehicle, followed promptly behind by Ducky. As they entered the manor, the soft smells of cinnamon and sandalwood enticed their noses.

For some odd reason, it didn't make the senior supervisory agent sick; it was actually sort-of comforting.

As Ducky found his way into the kitchen to make them some tea, Gibbs walked around the sitting room, admiring the M.E.'s antique trinkets and some of the photos that sat on the fireplace's mantel.

One of the photos drew his attention more than the others. It was in an old wooden hand-made frame (one he knew that he had made for Ducky some years earlier) and inside was a photo of himself, the M.E. and a younger-looking Tony, all smiles at a golf course.

One of the rare moments of togetherness that the three men had shared: a company golf tournament.

They were in Morrow's foursome, which wasn't a total surprise. He remembered that their foursome did very well, thanks to Ducky. That day was one of the best days that he had, especially one of the best ones with Tony.A smile appeared on Gibbs's face, knowing what happened that day was a fluke. Ducky ended the day at even par, beating the director by 2, him by 4, and Tony by 8. The aged doctor had never won at golf ever in his matured age, but that day, apparently, was his lucky day.

"I remember that day very vividly… it was a great day…" a familiar voice spoke up, cutting the silence in the room.

"You beat all of us… I was very surprised and so was the director… Tony was in awe of you…"

Ducky moved into the room, holding the tray with a tea pot, two cups & saucers, a creamer, a honey pot with dipper, a couple of spoons and a sugar bowl. He laid the tray on the coffee table, allowing Gibbs to find a seat. Feeling the mood turn to a serious nature, the medical examiner poured himself and his friend some tea. He set the cup & saucer on the other side of the tray, awaiting his grasp.

"Now, tell me, Jethro," The M.E. began, as he mixed some milk into his cup, folding the creamy liquid into the brew several times. "What's going on?"

"I dunno, Duck," the agent answered, leaving his cup and saucer where the older man had left it. "I dunno what I'm doing anymore… I am screwing everything up. I mean, look at me… I'm 52 years old and expecting a kid, for Christ's sakes."

"Jethro, have you ever considered that you are not the only one involved in this matter?"

The former Marine knew exactly to whom he was referring and said nothing.

"You can't deflect my questions for long, Jethro…" the man stated aloud. "I know you too well, my friend..."

"Duck, I put this all on myself…" Gibbs responded softly. "I've dug myself a deep hole, and every time I try to get out, I fall down deeper & deeper. I have no idea how to save myself..."

"Stop fighting against the demons that you have created for yourself, Jethro…"

"I can't… not this time…"

"I know that you want me to tell you something that will fix everything, but I am not going to do it this time. And, I have a feeling that you've got a feeling what I'm about to say next…"

"Duck, please…"

"You need to talk to Anthony STAT…"

* * *

The drive to Ducky's was like an eternity for Tony.

Turning onto the road where the medical examiner's residence was located, he suddenly stopped his car, putting it into 'park' near a curb.

'_What if he's there and he's angry,'_ he thought to himself. '_What if he's there and he's upset? What do I do then? What do I say to him? God, I need to explain some things to him…'_

"I need to tell him about Ian," he stated aloud. "I need to tell him now!"

Putting the vehicle back into 'drive', he made his way down the road and up the drive to Ducky's manor. As he put his vintage green Corvette in 'park' again and killed the ignition, he sat in full silence, taking in deep breaths, preparing himself for anything and everything. When he was ready, he left the car and strode to the front door.

Taking in one last deep breath, he knocked… and waited…

Ducky heard the gentle rapping at his front gate. He excused himself from Gibbs and moved promptly towards the sound. Opening the door, he was astonished by the face he saw before him.

"Anthony…" the M.E. spoke lightly. "To what do I owe this honor & surprise?"

"Hey, Ducky…" the senior field agent replied calmly. "May I come in? '_We_' need to talk…"

"Oh, young man, unfortunately I don't have the time to talk right now… maybe another time, yes?"

"Ducky, don't play stupid with me… I know he's here…"

The M.E. could only think of one person who would have spilled that information: _Palmer. _

"Tony, please do be gentle with him…" the older man spoke up. "He's in a rather odd place of sorts at this moment…"

"Damn hormones…" Tony muttered under his breath.

"What was that, dear boy?"

"Hormones, Ducky… I'm only here to tell him the truth, and whether he accepts it or not, is his own problem. After that, I'll leave… no questions asked..."

"Tony, you do know that I would never send you out of my home for any reason, correct?"

"I know… and, I'm not going to make this the first time…"

The senior field agent stepped past the M.E. and walked into the sitting room, where he saw his boss, seated drinking whatever was in an antique piece of porcelain china.

"Never imagined you to be a tea drinker, Boss…" Tony chimed in softly. "Is that decaf?"

Before Gibbs could utter a word, Ducky piped up, "I made sure of it, Anthony… for your child's sake… its ginger lemon… it's good for nausea… "

"Thanks for looking out for him, Ducky…"

"Somebody has to watch my six, DiNozzo…" the supervisory senior agent voiced, before he took another sip from his tea cup. "It's not like that's your job anymore..."

That one stung Tony deep. It was an arrow right into his heart.

"Jay, what is your issue with me, huh?" the younger man wondered. "What have I done now?"

"Tony, I don't want to talk about this now…" the older agent responded, trying to keep his emotions in check. "It's not the right time or place."

"Well, when-the-hell is it gonna be?!"

All Gibbs gave him in return was his trademark stare, and Tony couldn't stand it any longer.

He had to say something… anything...

So, he let his anger fester and release, "You are a real piece of work, you know that, Leroy Jethro Gibbs! You act like some macho, tough-as-nails marine, but deep down, you are a goddamn coward. You just can't face the fact that you can screw things up, too..."

The senior agent got up from his seat and stood face-to-face with his young prodigy, awaiting the next word out of his mouth.

"It's called 'being human', Gibbs…" Tony spoke up, not intimidated by the 'there's-no-such-thing-as-an-ex-marine' former marine. "Apparently, that's something… that's something… you need to… to learn… learn some -"

Then, without warning, the world in Tony's eyes went black.

Something had hit him in the head… hard.

Did Gibbs just head-slapped him into Hell?

* * *

All he could hear were soft beeps as the world came back to equilibrium.

It was a struggle at first for him to open his eyes, but when he finally came around, a familiar face was there to greet him in a very clean, white room.

He figured that he must be in a hospital somewhere, which he immediately hated.

"Well now, welcome back, my boy…" the recognizable Scottish accent invited him back into the world of the living. "How are you feeling?"

"Like the morning after celebrating a win at the Theta Pi Psi sorority house…" the young man responded groggily. "Those Pi-Psi's can really party…"

Ducky chuckled at the younger man's answer, as he checked his pulse lightly.

"Where the hell am I?" The young man questioned, still in a haze. "And, what the hell happened?"

"You're here in a triage room at Bethesda, Anthony. You fainted…" the M.E. answered with a smile on his face.

"I did what?"

"Low blood sugar, I think Dr. Pitt remarked…"

"What? How?"

"One minute you were bickering with Jethro, the next you were 'dead as a doornail' on my sitting room floor…"

"How long was I out for?"

"Well, according to my calculations, about four hours…"

"'Four hours'? God, Boss is going to be so pissed at me…"

"Already there, DiNozzo…" A voice stated from the other side of the small room. "Why make it any worse?"

"Do you always have to be so negative, Jethro?" Ducky interrupted the two men with an unhappy look on his face. "He has just experienced a head trauma, for God's  
sake…"

"Duck, I'm pregnant with his child… I think I trump him…"

"You always gotta win, don't you?" Tony retorted, sitting up slowly from his former position, making sure not to tangle up his IV line with anything. "You always gotta make sure that you are on top, while everyone else in your life is on the bottom. Do you plan that, or does it come to you on a whim?"

"Even in a hospital bed, you are still a smart-ass, DiNozzo… you -"

"Jethro, this is neither the time nor the place…" Ducky interrupted to the agent before he got himself into trouble.

"Then, leave, Duck! This needs to happen!"

The medical examiner acquiesced and made his move out of the room, allowing the two men to have their 'conversation'. When they were free from any outside opinions, the two began their 'little talk' again. Both took deep breaths, silently seething.

"Well, we're all alone now…" Tony piped up. "Say what you're gonna say! Say what you 'wanted' to say, before you had Ducky leave!"  
Gibbs took another deep breath, choosing his words rather carefully, before stating, "When?"

"You know 'when', you heartless bastard… when you called me a 'smart-ass'…"

"I was going to say, 'You never shut up, do you?' When are you going to understand that sometimes you need to keep your fat trap shut!"

"I only keep it open, Jay, because you never say anything… EVER! You are so goddamn stoic all of the goddamn time that someone needed to speak up for a change!  
Anytime anything ever happened in our relationship, I asked all of the questions!"

"Because you won't let me get a word in edgewise! How was I supposed to say anything, when all anyone ever heard was 'you'!"

"So, how does it feel now then, huh? Now that I'm not around to butt into your personal life, does it feel good knowing that you're all alone at home and the only friend you have in the whole world is Ducky?"

"Hey, you keep Ducky out of this! He has done nothing to you or has nothing against you! He's our friend! Don't blame him, because you're a poor excuse for a partner…"

"Oh, it finally comes out! It finally comes out! That's why we broke up, isn't it? You thought I sucked in bed, so you didn't want me anymore, is that it? Is that why you pushed me away and made me leave?"

"Wait a minute! Wait a goddamn minute here! I never said that you sucked in bed; you implied that one on your goddamn own! Furthermore, I didn't push you away… you left! You left to be with that Ian asshole!"

"Wait, hold on! You have no right to judge Ian! You have never met him, nor do you even know anything about him!"

"And, why should I even care to find out about him?"

"Because he's my brother, for God's sakes!"

The sheer mention of Tony having a sibling stunned Gibbs.

Tony had never mentioned him before, mostly because of the fact that Gibbs never let him explain who Ian was at all.

Tony was right: the supervisory senior agent never did say anything.

The older man felt like a smuck for accusing his former partner of doing something that he never did. He should have asked Tony about Ian in the first place; he shouldn't have assumed anything.

"Tony…" Gibbs spoke up softly.

"Ian is my half-brother, Gibbs," the younger agent retorted. "We have the same father sadly enough. His mother was a former employee of Senior's… a considerably 'younger' employee of his. Ian is 16 years younger than me; he's a senior at Georgetown."

"Tony, look, I'm - -"

"I know, Jethro… I know."

Before Gibbs could say anything else, a soft set of knocks interrupted him. Peering around the door, a familiar face smiled at them, before asking, "Is it safe to come in here?"

"Yeah, man… its safe…" the senior agent replied, allowing the physician to enter.

Dr. Brad Pitt flashed both men a smile, before grabbing Tony's chart from the holder on the wall and making his presence known in the room.

"Looks like my patient is finally awake… is that thanks to you, Agent Gibbs?" The doctor wondered.

"Nope, you can thank the medicine for that one…" Gibbs answered.

"Good… then, it did its job..."

"Can I leave yet?" The younger agent whined. "Please?"

"Not yet, Tony… not until we test your blood sugar again."

"Great… how long is that going to take?"

"Well, we initially tested your blood sugar, when you came in 4 hours ago, and it was at 50. Let's test you again now to see if you're above 50. If you are at a safe  
level, I'll consider letting you leave, but if I don't feel that it's up enough, you're going to stay until it is."

"Great... more hospital time and a blood test: my favorites…"

"Oh, it won't be '_that_' bad, Tony… I'll be here…" the doctor shot him another smile.

"Well, Brad, while that sounds very intriguing, but alas, someone already has my eye…"

Tony looked over at Gibbs, who sent him a soft grin. The doctor noticed this and stepped back from Tony, moving over to find a clean syringe to take his blood. The senior field agent continued to look at his boss, showing him a smile in return.

'_Is this a sign of change within him?'_ Gibbs wondered to himself. '_Is Tony admitting that he still has feelings for me and our child?_'

'_Did Gibbs finally find it in his heart to forgive me?'_ Tony speculated in his thoughts. '_Are we any closer to getting back together… for our son, at least?'_

Their son.

Both had totally forgotten about him.

He had to factor in.

Their arguments never mentioned him; it was safer for him.

Equally, the two men had to get back to 'terra firma' with one another, but being 'confined' (as Tony would call it) to a hospital room was not going to help that.

**TBC?**


	10. Meeting Ian

**Author's Notes: Hello. Here's an update. Finally we get to see Ian...**

**Happy reading!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

89…

A B+ in the education circles; an interesting amateur golf score; and, Tony's final blood sugar level count.

Upon hearing Brad's nurse read the results, Tony attempted to remove his own I.V. He was stopped, however, by the grasp of a hand on his arm from the ever-watchful Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

Seeing those silvery blue eyes face-to-face again, Tony calmed down immediately and allowed the nurse to take out his line. The younger agent lightly rubbed the bandage covering the I.V. line site and sighed.

"Now, remember, Agent DiNozzo," the nurse spoke up. "You have to test your blood every couple of hours to make sure that you won't have another episode."

"Yes, Nurse Ratchett…" Tony replied sarcastically.

"That's 'head' nurse Ratchett to you, young man. Agent Gibbs, please make sure he does what I ask…"

"Yes, ma'am…" the senior agent affirmed.

"And, by the way, Agent Gibbs… congratulations …"

As the nurse left the room, DiNozzo and Gibbs followed close behind, make their way to sign Tony out of the hospital. As the younger agent did all of his paperwork, the nurse pulled Gibbs aside and handed a few prescription scripts to him. He read through them, noticing some keywords: 'meter', 'lancets', 'syringe', 'insulin', among other things.

"What do these mean, Nurse Dawes?" He wondered aloud to her.

"They mean exactly what they mean, Agent Gibbs…" She answered without fail. "Your partner is diabetic…"

The words just seemed to meld together in his head.  
So much so that he couldn't understand them.  
He had to have her say it again.

"Umm… can you repeat that?" He inquired. "I just thought you said that Tony is a diabetic…"

"I did, Agent Gibbs…" She retorted. "And, he is…"

"How? How can that be? I've known him for 8 years, and he's never mentioned this to me… to anyone…"

"Any other information, Agent Gibbs, you'll have to talk to Dr. Pitt…"

"Fine… have him call my cell, when he's free… here's the number…"

He wrote the number down on a piece of paper and handed it to the nurse. She took the piece of paper and stapled it to Tony's medical file.

When Tony finished signing his life away for the hospital, he began to walk towards Gibbs.

Seeing him, the older agent swiftly slipped the three scripts into his inside jacket pocket, before meeting the younger man halfway.

"Finished, DiNozzo?" He inquired softly.

"Yeah, I am," the younger man replied. "With all of the paperwork I had to sign, you'd think they'd want my first born son…"

The look on Gibbs' face to that answer made Tony smile.

"Kidding, Gibbs," he stated, still smirking at the other man. "Only kidding…"

"Let's get you home, Tony…" Gibbs replied, as he walked to the exit with the younger man in tow.

* * *

The drive to Tony's apartment was a quiet one, as their drives now usually were.

Neither wanted to say anything that would start a fight, because they always ended badly, as current events well showed.

As they reached the parking lot to the building, Gibbs put the car in 'park' and turned off the ignition in a close parking spot.

"Do you need any help into your place?" He wondered to his young love.

"No, I think I'll be fine…" Tony answered. "You can always come up, you know… I don't think Ian's home yet…"

"I can't… I need to run a few errands . . . and, drop off a few prescriptions…"

"Are you alright? Is the baby - -"

"The baby's fine… he's great… the prescriptions are actually yours…"

"The doctor wants me to take some meds? That's strange…"

"Not meds, Tony… she gave the nurse scripts for a testing kit…"

The coloring of Tony's face changed several times. He knew that someone had let the cat of the bag and told Gibbs something that should have been kept a secret.

"He told you, didn't he?" Tony spoke up softly.

"No, he didn't…" Gibbs responded calmly. "I got it out of his nurse. When were you going to tell anyone about this? Tony, you have a serious medical condition…"

"It's not 'that' serious…"

"It's still diabetes, whether its type-1, type-2, or hypoglycemia… if it's left untreated, Tony, you could die from this…"

"But, it hasn't been left untreated, Jet… I take pills for it…"

"Well, apparently, the pills aren't working as well as they should be… the doctor prescribed you injectable insulin…"

"No way… I'm not using that stuff… it's not gonna happen…"

"Tony, you need it…"

"No, I don't, Jet!"

The scared look on Tony said every answer that Gibbs needed to know and hear.

He knew that Tony was afraid of needles, so injecting anything into his body would be difficult.

He also knew that his SFA didn't want to inject himself with anything for fear of an overdose.

Something that could happen, but Gibbs didn't want to admit that that was one of his fears also. He had to make him feel better; he had to help him in some way.

"Tony…" he started softly. "I can help you with it, if you want me to…"

"What do you mean 'help me with it'?" Tony wondered, as tears filled his eyes. "Help me with what?"

"The insulin… if you don't have to inject it yourself… I'll inject it for you… you don't have to touch the needles at all."

"Jet, what about that baby? Is that safe for him?"

"Yes, Tony, I think it is… well, I assume it is…"

"You mean you don't know?! You didn't even ask the nurse, if it would be okay?!"

"Tony, you are overreacting…"

"Jet, I'm overreacting, because you '_NEVER_' do, when it comes to stuff like this!"

Taking a deep breath and not wanting to start another argument, Gibbs calmed himself down, before speaking again, "Brad is supposed to call me and explain your condition more to me. When he does, I will ask him about me being able to inject you…"

"But, for the time being, I am not injecting anything at all…"

"That's fine, Tony… just keep taking your pills. See if they change anything…"

"They have been working pretty well for 9 years now, Jet… I think I'll be okay…"

Getting out of the car swiftly, Tony made his way to the front door of his building and inside. He made his way over to the elevator, just as Gibbs entered the building right behind him.

"I thought you weren't coming up…" Tony stated with a bit of attitude. "Thought you had errands to run…"

"They can wait…" The supervisory agent replied, trying not to get the young man more upset.

* * *

As the elevator pinged at its destination of the twelfth floor, the doors opened and both men made their way out, walking towards the front door of apartment 1213.

Tony pulled out his keys and unlocked the door, allowing Gibbs inside first. The older man hadn't seen the new apartment, but had wondered what it would be like.

It was a bachelor pad, of course… with some more homely touches. There are photos in frames throughout the place.

In the living room, there were photos of Tony as a toddler with his mom; Tony as a teenager in his private school's baseball team uniform; Tony with his frat brothers at Ohio State; among other ones. As Tony moved about in another room, Gibbs found himself drawn to a photo sitting on the stereo set. It was a photo, which must have been recent, of Tony and much younger man who looked like him.

'_That must be Ian', _he thought to himself. '_He looks so much like Tony, its crazy…_'

"When is 'he' coming home?" Gibbs questioned aloud.

"In an hour…" Tony answered back from another room. "He had to study… he's always studying…"

"He's a student?"

"Yeah, he is… Georgetown School of Law…"

'_Interesting…'_ Gibbs thought again. '_There must be a law enforcement gene in the DiNozzo pool… first son is a cop & a fed, second son is gonna be a lawyer… ingenious…'  
_  
As he set the photo down in its former place, he heard the telltale signs of a door unlocking, opening, shutting and relocking. Within moments, he came face-to-face with the young man from the photo.

"Hello…" the younger man stated, an annoyed look appearing on his face. "Are you who I think you are?"

"Who do you think I am?" Gibbs inquired calmly, piercing blue eyes staring deeply at the other man.

"You're Gibbs, aren't you? You're the jerk who ruined my brother's life…"

"You're right on both counts, Ian…"

"I could kill you right where you stand, you know that?"

"And, then, you could be your own counsel at the trial, am I right?"

"How do you know anything about that, you heartless bastard?"

"Because I told him, Ian…" a familiar voice stated from behind the younger man. "That's why…"

"Tony, what is he doing here? I thought you weren't seeing him anymore…"

"I went to talk to him about us, and I had a 'bit' of an accident…"

"What? What do you mean 'a bit of an accident', Tony?"

"I blacked out at Ducky's…"

"What?!"

"Now, now, bro, don't overreact… I'm fine…"

"Tee, I am overreacting, because you '_NEVER_' do, when it comes to stuff like this! Why in the hell didn't you call me?! I could've come to the hospital, dude…"

"Ian, I didn't need you to leave your work group; you need that time to study. Besides, Jethro was there with me…"

"Wow, _quelle surprise!"_

"Ian, don't be like that…"

"Don't be like what, Tee? I'm just surprised that the ol' man here still cares about you, that's all…"

"You have a really smart mouth… you know that, Ian?" Gibbs piped up.

"Runs in the family, Gibbs… 'Bout time you learned something about me…"

"Listen: you don't know jack-crap about anything, when it comes to Tony and me! I will always care about him, whether you are around to see it or not. He's the love of my life, my best friend, my partner, and the father of our child…"

That last descriptor turned Ian three shades of color.

Tony had yet to tell his younger brother about the wee bundle of joy growing inside of Gibbs.

"Umm…" Ian spoke up slowly. "Say that last part again, because I thought I heard you say 'father of our child'…"

"He did, Ian…" Tony injected. "Gibbs and I are having a child together…"

"Okay… but with whom? Who's your surrogate?"

"No one… Jethro's pregnant…"

"Wait… so you're saying that Gibbs can carry children, just like you told me that you could…"

"Yep, that's correct… Jet and I are expecting a baby in about 5 months or so…"

"Whoa, back up the train a wee bit here, dude… this is just all so… so…"

"Weird?" Gibbs chimed in.

"Exactly… that would make you both freaks, wouldn't it? Isn't it strange to be carrying a kid - - as a man?"

"There are some weird things, and yes, most of its pretty freaky, but you kinda get used every single one as it comes along… like right now, I should feel the baby moving…"

"But you don't?"

"Not as much… I mean, I can feel him move, but nothing too powerful like a kick yet…"

"That's just so crazy, man… I don't know how to feel about all of this, you guys."

"It's okay to be weirded out, bro…" Tony added in. "There aren't a lot of men out there who can conceive children like us… we are genetic anomalies really…"

"But, what about the baby? Is it going to be deformed or disabled?"

"Nope, neither…" Gibbs replied. "The doctor said that he's doing well for 19 weeks…"

"So, it's a boy then, I'm guessing, right?"

"Yep, you're getting a nephew…" Tony responded. "Think you can handle being an uncle?"

"Ummm, I dunno… as long as it doesn't interfere with school. I guess I'm game, even though I'm still feeling strange about this whole deal. I mean, I should feel mad at you, Gibbs, for treating my brother badly, and I should be mad at you, Tee, for letting him back into your life, but now with this whole baby situation, I'm making myself more confused… should I be this confused?"

"No, you shouldn't be… you shouldn't even be concerned right now about our lives and our issues… you should be more concerned about passing that test next week…"

"Yes, Father…"

Tony rolled his eyes at the younger man, hearing the familiar sound of sarcasm in his voice.

"I'm gonna head to my room and study some more…" Ian stated to the two other men. "You two gonna be okay out here?"

"Yeah, I think we'll be fine…" Tony answered back. "You two gonna be friends at all?"

"It's gonna take some time, I think, bro… but, I think we might be starting down the right path…"

"Agreed…" Gibbs spoke up calmly.

As the youngest man in the room disappeared into his back bedroom, the conversation turned back to what it was before.

Gibbs laid the prescription scripts on the coffee table in front of Tony, as they both sat down on opposite sides of one another.

He glanced at them and stated without blinking an eye: "You're going to use all of these, Tones… including the insulin…"

"Why, Jet?"

"Because if you don't, you're never going to see our son…"  
**  
TBC?**


	11. Answers and Names

**Author's Notes: New chapter! Yay! (Sorry, the notes aren't more thorough... just didn't have time today...)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_**Chapter 11**_

A cold chill raced through his body as Gibbs' last sentence repeated several times in his head.

The idea that he couldn't be there for his son was unfathomable.

He knew that his health mattered, but this was something that had tried to prevent ever since he found out about 'it'.

The doctors had all told him that if he let his health decline, he may have to take injections with his pills, or even worse: have a pump put in.

Having an insulin pump, to him, meant he would be imprisoned all unto himself (otherwise known as 'desk duty'). He let out a deep sorrowful sigh, before stating, "How long do you think I'll have to do the injections for?"

"Depends on what the doctor thinks you need…" Gibbs replied, moving to the couch where Tony was seated. "Brad may have only ordered a prescription for a month to get your body back on track, you never know…"

"But, what if he says it has to be for the rest of my life?"

"Then, we deal with it… together..."

Just as he finished his sentence, his cell phone trilled & vibrated to life. He noticed that the caller i.d. said,_ 'PRIVATE'_, having no idea who it would be.

"Gibbs…" He stated in his normal tone.

"Agent Gibbs, its Dr. Pitt. Am I catching you at a bad time?" The voice on the other end of the phone questioned.

"No, you aren't… thank you for calling me back so quickly…"

"You wanted me to call to explain Tony's prescriptions, correct?"

"Yeah, that's correct. What can you tell me, Doc?"

"Well, I think it's all very self-explanatory, Gibbs. Tony needs to be testing his blood sugar levels every day, and from what he told the nurse and Doctor Mallard, he doesn't do that at all. He said he hardly knows when his blood sugar spikes and goes dangerously low. He needs to be checking and charting his levels for me. I want to see a log of them, so does his OB/GYN, Dr. MacKenzie. Tony also needs to have normal insulin injections, at least twice a day, along with taking his pills. I prescribed him an insulin injector pen to make it easier on him, due to his fear of needles. I figured it would help him get his insulin faster, when it's needed."

"Sounds like a plan… anything else I need to know?"

"Just be careful with him, Gibbs. Be careful with the whole process… change can be difficult for some people."

"You're preachin' to the choir, Doc. Thank you…"

"Any time, Gibbs…"

Cutting off their conversation quickly with the closing of a cell phone, the older man turned to Tony, who was anxiously awaiting some answers.

"Well?" The younger man questioned impatiently. "What's my verdict?"

"Pitt wants you to inject yourself at least twice a day…" the senior agent answered. "And, he wants you to chart your blood sugar levels every day every time you test. He also prescribed you an injector pen, instead of a bunch of syringes… he figured it would be a quicker process…"

At that moment, Tony turned pale. The whole situation was turning his stomach.

"DiNozzo…" Gibbs spoke up worriedly. "Tony?"

"I dunno know if I can do this, Jet…" He responded softly. "I'm scared…"

"I know you are, Tony, and it's gonna be okay… I'll be here for you…"

"I know you will be, Jet, but I still dunno about everything…"

"What makes you the most scared out of all of this?"

"That damn injector pen... my great-aunt Cecilia used to use one. She would just jam that sucker into her leg or whatever place she had chosen without even thinking about… scared the crap out of me every time she did it, too… it's one of the reasons why I don't like needles…"

"So, you don't think you're 'man enough' to jam that injector pen into your leg twice a day?"

"Jet, I'm a wuss in that department. Let's just call the good ol' Doctor back and have him switch the prescription out, shall we?"

"I'm not calling him back… if you wanted to tell Brad that you don't want the injector pen, and you want syringes instead, you go right ahead and call him."

"Awww, man…" Tony whined, giving Gibbs the pouting lip. "Why can't you just do it for me just this once? Please?"

"No, Tony… I can't do it… I have to go and get your other prescriptions to the pharmacy, before it closes."

"But…"

"No 'buts', Tony… just call him back…"

Just as he was about to hand Tony his phone, Gibbs got a sudden thrum of pain on the side of his belly. He rubbed the spot softly, but it didn't stop. The change in his face alerted Tony right away, causing to nervously ask "Jet, what is it?"

Gibbs grabbed his hand and placed it on the spot where the pain had started. The movement happened again, causing Tony to pull his hand back.

"Is that what I think it is?" He wondered softly.

"Yeah, I think it is…" Gibbs answered calmly with a relieved smile, realizing what was happening. "Dr. Mackenzie said it would happen sooner or later…"

"I didn't mean to pull away like that, Jet… it just scared me, that's all. The last time I felt a baby kick, was when my hairdresser was pregnant, and that's been at least 5 years…"

"It's okay… it's been more like 21 years for me…"

The sudden sadness in Gibbs' face meant he was referring to Kelly.

Tony knew that he missed his daughter, but their son was a new beginning… a fresh start.

"It's okay for you to remember her…" Tony stated to him, cupping his lover's cheek tenderly. "You should never forget her… never..."

"Thank you…" Gibbs responded, as he pulled his young love in closer for a long, passionate kiss.

As they continued their interlock, Tony slowly slipped his hand back to his lover's belly, where he had felt the kick before. He softly rubbed the spot, feeling a hardness there, then a little pound in the direction of his palm, which caused Gibbs to break their kiss.

"Wow…" the senior agent stated lightly. "This kid is really gonna kill me, if he continues to kick like that…"

"Only means he's gonna be a soccer player…" the younger man retorted with a smile.

"One can only hope, Tones… this boy is gonna be a great athlete, I can feel it already…"

"You know, Jet… we can't just keep the baby 'the boy' or 'the kid' all of the time… maybe we oughta think of names for him…"

It had yet to cross Gibbs' mind to think of names for their son. He was so focused on getting Tony's health back on the track, getting their relationship back on track, and getting cases at work finished that naming their child never came up.

"Do you have any ideas, Tony?" He wondered aloud.

"About twenty of them…" The younger man answered.

" 'Twenty'? He only needs one first name and a middle name…"

"I know… what can I say? I'm pretty indecisive right now…"

"Well, think about one name that comes into your head and say it…"

Tony thought for a second and returned with the only name at the moment that was at the top of his list: "Benjamin…"

Gibbs let the name run through his head over and over several times.

"Benjamin, huh?" Gibbs pondered the name in his head several times, before giving him an answer. "I like it… it's smart… it's strong… and, we can shorten it to 'Ben'…"

"Exactly what I was thinking… now, what do you think about the name 'Noah'?"

"Wait a minute now, you just suggested 'Benjamin' to me… now you like Noah?"

"I have a list of 15 names that I like, Jet. Benjamin & Noah are just two of them…"

"Just stick to one name, Tony… we don't need our son confused on his first day into the world…"

"Or, his first day of school for that matter…"

"Thinking ahead again?"

"Oh, yeah… you have to anymore…" Tony lightly rubbed the spot where the baby had kicked before, hoping he'd get an encore, but to no avail. "So, did you make your list yet, or do you even have one?"

"Don't need one… all of the ones I like are in here…"

When he pointed to his skull (meaning his brain), it made Tony smile. '_At least he's making an effort to get into being pregnant,'_ Tony thought to himself. '_Even if he seems a wee bit off at times…'  
_  
"Okay, oh great one, give me a name off of your list…" The younger man stated lightly.

Gibbs was quiet for a moment, before answering, "Ryan…"

Tony let the rather short name swirl around his brain a little, before smiling and retorting, "I like it… it's smart... it's wise… and, it's only 4 letters long…"

"Exactly what I was thinking… what about Nolan or Eoin?"

The sarcasm in Gibbs' voice wasn't lost on Tony; he knew exactly what he was doing: Gibbs was doing the same thing that he'd done to him.

"Ha ha ha, very funny, Jet… I get your point… but I still think we should make out a list of names."

"Tony, we have 5 months until he's here… I think we can decide a name by then."

"What about family names?"

"Okay, what about them?"

"We should give our son at least a middle name that is from someone in our family…"

"Why?"

"It's symbolic, Jet…"

"Alright, fine… what are yours?"

"Well, my side of the gene pool is kinda short on males. Obviously, there are 2 Anthonys… and, my mother's brothers, Blake & Patrick… my uncles, Angelo and Clive… and my grandfathers, Erick & Salvatore, just to name a few. How 'bout you?"

"Well, there's the obvious… and, Jackson, of course… then, my father's brother was Carter; my mother's brother was a Joseph; and, my grandfathers were James & Wallace."

"This is a really interesting name list we have started here, Jet… really interesting…"

Tony's sarcasm wasn't lost on Gibbs… not for a moment…

"You think, Tony?" The senior agent sounded in his normal tone.

"Oh, most definitely…" The younger man replied with a cheesy-ass grin.

Both men smiled at one another, before the older of the two got up from his seat. He grabbed the prescription scripts and headed out to the pharmacy. Tony kissed him softly, as he exited the apartment, heading for the elevator.

Closing the door behind him, Tony moved slowly back into the living room. He noticed a blue sheet of paper on the coffee table almost immediately. Grabbing it, he noticed that it was one of his prescriptions for the injector pen. He smiled to himself, before grabbing his cell phone. He dialed a number swiftly and awaited an answer on the other end.

As the phone rang, he took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, calming him down. He was going to be okay. It all was going to work out… it had to.

"Nurses' station…. This is Shavonn… how can I assist you today?" the voice stated lightly.

"Yeah, hi, Shavonn… this is Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo. Is there any way I can speak with Dr. Pitt please?" He retorted.

**TBC?**


	12. Three weeks later in Hell

**Author's Notes: Yay, update! So many done today! Yay me!  
**

**Happy reading! Enjoy!**

* * *

_**3 weeks later…  
**__**  
**_It wasn't his idea.

Tony never volunteered for the trip… Vance simply told him that he was going.

"DiNozzo, you're going… end of story…" the director stated in his usual booming voice.

"Why can't you send McGee & Ziva? They are obviously more interested in going to the conference than me…" Tony pleaded.

"I need a senior field agent to attend and to keep the peace between Agent Fornell and a new senior investigative agent at ATF…" he opened a folder and skimmed it.

"A Brian Gedree. Fornell and he apparently are not on the friendliest of terms… I need someone there to keep them apart."

"So, you need me to play middle man?"

"Since Agent Gibbs obviously is in no condition to do this job, this job goes onto you… have fun…"

"Gee, thanks…"

As Tony headed out of the office, the Director's new secretary stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Agent DiNozzo… Tony… I almost forgot to give you this…" Irene stated, handing him a rather large gift bag, decorated with baby blocks and a big white bow. "I thought you and Agent Gibbs could use one of these. My sister swears by it…"

"Thank you, Irene…" he answered with smile. "Whatever it is, I think he and I could probably use it… as long as it's not more clothes or receiving blankets…"

"It's neither, and I totally understand the clothes & blankets deal… my sister and I both had so many left over from our sons' births…so many, in fact, that our granny made us quilts out of them."

"Let's hope we don't get to that point…"

"Yeah, for your sake…"

He smiled at her once more, before leaving the space and making his way down the stairs to the bullpen, not as irritated as he was before. As he sat down at his desk, gift in hand, he felt a pair of dark eyes peering over at him and his new treasure.

"Ask me what you're thinking, Zee-Vah..." he stated as he started to rummage around in the bag.

"Just wondering what you received…" she had to cover for what she was really thinking: '_Who else is he sending to the conference?'_

"Well, it's a rather big…" he pulled out the box inside of the bag and smiled. "Boppy®…"

"A what?"

"A Boppy® is a pillow that a baby can lay on, while they are nursing or taking a bottle… it keeps pressure off of a mother's arms and back."

"Wow, you obviously know a lot about these things…"

"No, actually, I don't… one of the nurses at the doctors' office, Noreen, told me about them… I put it on the gift registry…"

"You have a gift registry?"

"Yes, Zee-Vah… 'We' do. Gibbs and I needed some essentials for the bambino, so we made a gift registry. When people ask what we need, we tell them to go to the registry and to get what's on there… easy as that…"

"And, that 'Poppy' thing was on there…?"

" It's called a 'Boppy®'…and, yes, in the pattern that I picked out: 'Trains'…"

He turned the box towards her, so that she could see it. She smiled at him, impressed by what he had received, before heading back to work and beginning her interrogation of Tony once again.

"So, Tony… did the Director decide to send you to the conference after all?" She inquired.

"See, I knew that you'd ask me about that," he replied, as he typed something on his computer. "And, yes, he is… told me that since I'm the next highest on the food chain, I just had to go."

"And, has he yet chosen who is going with you?"

"Nope… why? Do you want to go?"

"I've thought about asking the Director, if I qualify to attend…"

"But…"

"But, I have yet to act on it…"

"Really? That's very interesting?"

"How so, Tony?"

"You aren't the 'sit-back-and-wait' type of girl, Zee-Vah."

"Maybe it's time I show a more 'reserved' side of myself…"

"Yeah, and the Cubs have a better chance at winning a World Series…"

His sarcasm and smile was not lost on her.

She shot him a dirty look, before walking towards the staircase. He smiled to himself as she trekked up the flight to the 2nd floor.

"Where's she off to?" McGee wondered as he entered the workspace.

"To talk to the Director…" Tony answered, continuing to type something on his computer.

"Any reason why?"

"She's going to beg for a shot at the conference…"

"She's what?! She's not going to out-beg me for that damn spot!"

Suddenly, the Probie stormed up the stairs, following the same path as Ziva, leaving Tony alone to smile and shake his head in dismay. Both of his colleagues were acting ridiculous. '_It's a damn conference', _he thought to himself. '_What does it matter who gets the spot?'  
_  
As he pondered that question, Gibbs entered the floor. He was perfect looking… at least in Tony's eyes, that is. His ever-expanding belly was even more rounded than before, almost making a perfect sphere.

"Morning, Boss…" Tony chortled in his normal tone of voice.

"Morning, DiNozzo…" the supervisory agent responded. "Why am I down two agents?"

"They are both begging for a 'vacation'…" he pointed a finger upwards towards the Director's office.

"Let me guess… there are two spots open for the conference… you have one… and they are fighting for the other."

"Ding, ding, ding... you are a winner…"

"How long ago did they both go up there?"

"A minute ago tops… which means they'll be up there for a bit…"

"'A bit' better mean 5 minutes tops… they have work to do…"

"On it, Boss… oh, and by the way…" Tony held the gift bag up in the air for Gibbs to see. "We got a gift…"

"Interesting… from whom?"

"Irene…"

"Hmmm…" Gibbs grabbed the bag from his senior agent and looked inside. Seeing what was in there, he looked up at Tony.

"What?" Tony wondered. "Are you mad that she didn't choose one with camouflage on it?"

"Nope…" the other man answered, handing the gift back to him. "Just wondered why we needed one of these in the first place…"

"It's to relieve pressure on your arms, neck, and back, while you're feeding the baby…"

"Oh… thought that's what a chair or a couch was for…"

"It'll help, trust me…"

Before Gibbs could muster an answer, Tony interrupted him, "Looks like our missing agents have returned…"

Both senior agents looked towards the staircase, noticing that the two other agents were bickering back and forth.

"This isn't going to be good, Boss…" Tony interjected.

"You never know, DiNozzo…" Gibbs replied with a smile. "It might be good for them to vent their anger towards one another. It could be... oh, God, what does Ducky  
call it?"

"Cathartic…"

"Exactly… it could cathartic for both of them let their tensions go…"

* * *

_**### Conversation on the 2nd floor and on the stairs ###**_

"I cannot believe that you stop so low and play the geek card in front of the director..." The Israeli beauty stated angrily.

"The word is 'stoop', Ziva," McGee interjected. "And, yes, I may have used my 'geek card', as you call it, in reference to my skills as an agent... but, who wouldn't?"

"You are a self-serving, maniacal pig, McGee... you can't let anyone else get the chances to go places..."

"That's bull, Ziva, and you know it..."

"I do not care what kind of farm animal it is! The point is that you are selfish, and you do not know the meaning of the word 'no'."

"I don't know the meaning of the word no?! My God, Ziva... get a grip on reality... you're the queen of misunderstood meanings. Besides, you're just jealous that I got chosen, and you didn't..."

"I am not jealous! You are the one who is jealous...'of me'... because when you and Tony are gone, I'm the senior field agent... which means big cases get run by me..."

"You just don't back down, do you? Admit it..."

"I'm not admitting jon to you!"

"That's 'jack', Ziva! 'Jack!' You're not admitting jack!"

"Who cares which man it is?!"

* * *

Ziva and McGee reentered the bullpen and continue to snip each other. They separated to their individual desks, continuing to give one another evil glares.

Tony felt an opening for something to be said, so he took it…gladly. He got up from his desk and moved towards Ziva's.

"So…" Tony started with a coy smile. "How did it go?"

She shot him an evil look and an angry scoff, before getting up from her desk and moving quickly to the back elevator.

"Was it something I said?" Tony wondered with a smile.

Gibbs shrugged… he didn't want to say anything…for once.

"Oh, she's just mad…" McGee piped up.

"And, why is that, McProbmeister?" Tony inquired. "Oh, wait…let me guess… she didn't get the job… am I right?"

"Yep…"

"Excellent!"

Gibbs shot him a less-than-amused glare, before stating, "DiNozzo... really?"

This caused Tony to instantly retract his previous statement, "I mean… poor Ziva, she must be crushed…"

"Less ass-kiss, more compassion, Tony…"

"Fine… Ziva must be upset that she again was turned down for the conference… sucks to be her…"

"Better…but not by much…"

"As I was going to say, before I was interrupted twice: Did you get the job, Probs?"

"Yep… Vance had me down for the spot all the long," Tim spoke up. "He needed someone with thorough computer experience to go with you, and he knew that wasn't Ziva's expertise… so it's me and you, Tony…"

"Fabulous… and, this time, McGeek…"

"Yeah, Tony?"

"No 'Zamfir, Master of the Pan-Flute'…"

"I thought you liked it the last time I played it…"

"No way… that crap kept me up for hours; I was kinda surprised that I got any sleep at all… must have drifted off out of exhaustion…"

"Or, you enjoyed it and just hate to admit that it helped you sleep…"

"I am not admitting anything, McTim…"

"Wow, okay… sure, Tony…"

McGee's eye roll wasn't lost on Gibbs, who just shook his head and went back to work.  
_  
'What else did I need today?'_ he thought to himself. _'What could possibly make this day worse?'_

Out of nowhere, his phone rang, catching him off guard.

"Yeah…Gibbs…" He answered it. "Ahuh… alright… thanks. Alright, team… let's saddle up."

"We got a case, Boss?" Tony questioned.

"Yeah, DiNozzo… a double homicide at a high school in Dam Neck… a dead sailor and a dead high school student. Tim, go & get Ziva… Tony, go get the truck..."

"Wait, Tony…" McGee spoke up. "Boss, you aren't thinking of coming with us, are you?"

"Yes, McGee… I am coming with you…"

"Do you think that's wise? Tony, do you think he should come along?"

Gibbs looked at the young agent, giving him the trademark 'stare and glare', before turning to his senior agent.

"Boss, I think the Probie's right…" Tony stated lightly. "I don't think you should come… it's a long drive to Dam Neck... 4 ½ hours, cramped in a car with the three of us… that's enough stress for a lifetime…"

"Tony, I'm going to that crime scene…and no one is going to stop me…" The SSA retorted.

"I think you're wrong on that one, Gibbs…" a stern voice stated from behind them. "I'm going to stop you…"

All three turned to see the Director standing there, not looking as amused as usual.

"You aren't going, Gibbs…" Vance spoke up again. "I just got done talking to Dr. Mallard. He doesn't believe it's the best of ideas for you to go out on calls more than an hour away from here. 'Too much stress', he said. The last thing I need on my conscience is you losing that kid inside of you, if something goes wrong at the crime scene. So, you're staying… any comments?"

"Not unless you want to have me arrested..." Gibbs replied, before sitting back in his desk chair.

It was going to be a long day... Tony could feel it already.

_**TBC?**_


End file.
